Travel records in disarray for authority overseeing Reagan and Dulles airports, Washington Post, November 5, 2011

If MWAA can't keep track of the expenses of its 14 Board members, why should we believe they can effectively manage a $6-$7 billion Metrorail construction project paid for by taxpayers and toll road users?  We need a detailed audit of the costs, funding, and scheduling of the Silver Line now!  

This excellent article by WaPo's Dana Hedgpeth shows the apparent incompetence of MWAA in keeping track of basic expenses and provides some insight into US DOT's ongoing audit of MWAA.

By Dana Hedgpeth, Published: November 5

Travel records this year for the authority that oversees Reagan National and Dulles International airports show reports in disarray, sloppy bookkeeping for some expenses and an instance in which the authority overpaid reimbursements to one board member.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is also overseeing the $6 billion Dulles rail project, has come under increased scrutiny about whether it is transparent enough and how it is monitoring the construction of the Metrorail extension.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s inspector general is auditing the authority, a move requested by lawmakers worried about a lack of oversight.

A Washington Post review of travel records for MWAA’s 13-member board, which are not examined by an external auditor, according to a spokeswoman, revealed errors that had not been caught by the authority’s internal system of checks and balances. . . .

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