Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I just heard about the increase in tolls, effective May 22, for the Dulles Toll Road. Again, Northern Virginia residents are being levied.
When Virginia wanted to raise the sales tax by a half-cent in 2002 to help cover transportation projects, many Northern Virginia residents opposed the tax because they felt that the state had not been using transportation funding properly.
Now that the Dulles tolls will be increased, when will Metro open in western Fairfax County and eastern Loudoun County? And will people actually use it? It seems it would be more of a hassle to take Metro from Reston and have to switch from the new line to the crowded Orange Line to get downtown.
I'm so frustrated! How do other Northern Virginia residents feel?
JoAnne Kukoda
Reston
Let's let them speak. For myself, I believe using Dulles Toll Road revenue to help expand Metrorail in the same area is a suitable use, because it should alleviate some congestion on the Dulles Toll Road.
I've been against using toll revenues for other purposes, such as having Interstate 95 tolls in Maryland go to Port of Baltimore improvements. But that is not the case here.
There are still more financing questions, but as it stands now, the extension of the Orange Line from a point near the West Falls Church Metro station through Tysons Corner to Wiehle Avenue in Reston would be ready by 2011 (with groundbreaking next year), and the portion to Dulles International Airport and Route 772 in Loudoun County would be ready in 2015. Those dates seem optimistic to me.
I think a good number of commuters from western Fairfax and Loudoun County would love to trade their arduous commutes and exorbitant parking fees for riding Metro. But let's hear from them.
A Developing Squeeze
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I ride Metro's Orange Line to work from the Vienna station. Since Vienna is an end of the line, I'm able to get a seat. The train is often too full to pick up passengers waiting at stations closer to Washington.
Heading home from Foggy Bottom in the evenings, I'm one of many left standing on the platform, hopelessly watching packed trains leave without me.
