Federal, Va. officials object to underground Metro station at Dulles airport, Washington Post, April 16, 2011

By Kafia A. Hosh, Friday, April 15, 7:53 PM

Federal, state and local officials want the board that manages Dulles International Airport to reconsider its decision to build a new Metrorail station there underground, but board members intend to move ahead with the plan — despite questions about the cost of the choice and who would pay for it.

Mame Reiley, chairwoman of the Dulles rail committee for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said reopening the issue “would not be in the best interest of the public and the authority we serve.”

“I’m not going to put it on the [committee’s] agenda, and if it was something that came up in the board meeting, I’d vote against it,” she said. . . .

( Jahi Chikwendiu / THE WASHINGTON POST ) - Part of the Metro extension project would be paid for by revenues from the Dulles Toll Road (shown in July 2010).

Most important sentence in the article:  "Loudoun officials are expected to sign off Monday on the letter (to Charles D. Snelling, chairman of the authority board, criticizing the decision, refusing to pay for the additional cost and asking the board to take steps to keep the overall price tag as close to the original “estimate of $2.5 billion as possible”), which has already been approved by Fairfax and the state."

Click here for the text of the draft letter.

For the rest of this excellent update on the Metrorail Phase 2 construction cost issue, click here.