Dulles Extension Yet Another Defeat For All Commuters

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Once again I find myself reading about the possible demise of the Metro extension to Dulles. It seems to me that these politicians and Federal Transit Administration officials should do their jobs instead of making excuses for why it can't be done.

Why doesn't the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority have the expertise and technical staff to manage the complexities of the extension?

If they don't, then the officials need to work with them until they do. If Metro isn't financially positioned to operate the new line, then changes need to be made. The agencies involved need to learn to work together to meet the needs of the public. That's their job.

If they think there isn't enough demand for the extension, all they have to do is try driving on either the Dulles Toll Road or Route 7 any workday between 4 and 7 p.m. I have been commuting from Sterling to the District for more than 25 years, and all I ever hear are excuses.

With a rail system, I would have a reasonable alternative to driving into the District and might even consider it possible to shop in Tysons Corner. When I moved to the Sterling area in 1980, there was already talk about this extension. It now looks like I will be retired before the project breaks ground. How is this serving the public?

J. Easton

Sterling

It's not. The writer of this letter, which arrived just hours before the FTA delivered a funeral oration for the rail line Thursday, gets the situation about right.

The 23-mile Metrorail line through Tysons and on to Dulles was not going to break the headlock that traffic congestion has on the suburbs. That would be too much to ask, even for $5 billion. But over many years, the proposed line became far more than a way of traveling to and from an airport. It became a focal point for planning how people would get around one of the nation's most vital corridors.

That's a state interest, a regional interest and a national interest. Today, no one involved in defending those interests looks very good.

Public-private partnerships like this don't admit enough daylight for the public and the transportation industry to scrutinize details and correct flaws. Local leadership was fragmented.