Silver Lining: How Future Economic Development Justifies Hefty Price Tag, Lauren Sausser, Falls Church Patch, December 21, 2010 (Part II of III)

The cost of not building the Silver Line exceeds the $6.5 billion price tag, economists say.

In this series, Patch looks at the Silver Line, Metro's largest expansion in its 34-year history. 

When the Dulles Metrorail is fully up and running — probably sometime in 2016 — it will likely have cost a grand total of about $6.5 billion to build.

And while some may balk at that price tag, several regional experts say this "megaproject" is vital to Northern Virginia's economic vitality.

"Many people likely take the ongoing expansion of Northern Virginia for granted, given how vibrant the region's economy has been over time and is today. It has become an economic juggernaut," said Anirban Basu, the CEO of Sage Policy Group. . . . 

Read the rest of this article here.  

Comment:  The implication of the official spokespersons in this article is that those who oppose the Metrorail Silver Line oppose any public transit.  This is not generally true.  Most Metrorail Silver Line opponents believe bus transit--including bus rapid transit to Dulles--would provide a more timely, flexible, accessible, and less expensive option that would serve the same purpose, maybe even more effectively.