Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
For Dulles Rail, VA must share Metro fare
Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters gave the Dulles Metrorail extension final design approval, but cautioned that the crumbling infrastructure of the existing Metro system remains a concern.In approving the project, Peters and Administrator James Simpson of the Federal Transit Administration both complemented Virginia's response to the FTA's laundry list of concerns about the project, which put the project's future in question when the list was announced in February.
However, both cautioned that the Metro infrastructure must be addressed.
“WMATA recently identified $489 million in urgent unfunded capital needs,” Peters wrote.
Now, a Virginia legislature that has been so far unable to agree on a way to solve its own transportation infrastructure problems will have to find a way to pay for Metro infrastructure as well, a daunting challenge in hard financial times.
Peters' letter calls on Virginia to work with the District of Columbia and Maryland to bring Metro to “a state of good repair,” a negotiation that probably won't be easy.
“Metro is challenging. ... We want to do our part,” said Gov. Tim Kaine (D).
Earlier this year, the source of Virginia's $50 million annual contribution to Metro's operating budget was invalidated when the Virginia Supreme Court overruled the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's taxing authority. That money will probably be replaced in a special legislative session this summer, but those funds won't go to the infrastructure repairs that concern the FTA.
Further complicating the issue, a federal bill that would invest $1.5 billion in Metro infrastructure has been stalled in Congress.
However, Simpson said in a press conference last week that Virginia has an obligation to pay for Metro infrastructure, no matter the extent of federal contributions.
“Metro is already getting dedicated funding from the federal government. ... Virginia needs to fund the project along with federal funding,” Simpson said.
Still, the FTA has left the state some wiggle room.
“A state of good repair is a little vague, and could be seen as subjective,” suggested Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth (D).
While it's not clear to what extent Virginia will address the Metro infrastructure issues this year, Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer says the special session is wide-open for anything transportation related.
“Our focus is on addressing our transportation needs in the special session, and that means all of the transportation needs across the commonwealth,” Homer said.
In a press conference last week, Kaine said the state needed to create a dedicated source of funding for Metro.
“It's critical that we find dollars for Metro,” Kaine said.
You must be logged in to post a comment.