Kaine Raises The Specter Of Higher Dulles Tolls

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) said yesterday that one of the few ways to pay for a Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport without federal funding would be to raise charges on the Dulles Toll Road -- a solution he is unlikely to support.

In a radio interview and at a news briefing in Washington yesterday morning, Kaine continued his drumbeat that federal partnership is crucial to the success of the proposed rail line. But he appeared to be trying something new: getting commuters to put pressure on the Federal Transit Administration.

"What the federal share enables us to do is to build this and keep the tolls at a manageable level, which is appropriate for the hundreds of thousands who use this as a commuter route," Kaine said on WTOP's "Ask the Governor" program. "If you take the federal money out, my worry is that the tolls would be exorbitant."

Charges on the Dulles Toll Road have risen to 75 cents at the main plaza and 50 cents at the exits, and they are scheduled to rise further under a plan to finance the rail line. The toll road is operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is also managing the rail project. Part of the authority's agreement with Virginia is to pay for much of the rail line with toll increases.

Kaine said that tolls could go still higher if the federal government declines to grant $900 million for the $5 billion project. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and Federal Transit Administration chief James S. Simpson told Kaine and other state officials last week that the project is unlikely to qualify for federal funding, which is crucial to the financing plan.

For more than 40 years, political and business leaders have been planning the 23-mile rail line to connect D.C. to its premier airport, relieve congestion and boost economic development along the state's richest jobs corridor.

One option that has surfaced is the possibility of selling the toll road to a private company and using the sale proceeds to fund construction. But Kaine said that could lead to higher tolls too. Such a scenario is also likely to generate strong opposition from the same residents who objected to the most recent toll increases as a means to pay for the rail line.

"We're on a slippery slope when we divert revenue from roads to rail transit," said Ken Reid, a Leesburg Town Council member and a former member of notollincrease.com, which opposed the airports authority's takeover of the toll road.

Others said yesterday that Kaine must begin looking for a Plan B. U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) said as much in a separate interview on WTOP. And state Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax) rose on the floor of the House of Delegates to say it's time to stop pushing the same plan.

"The proponents of this thing are basically violating the rule that says that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results," Albo said. "We'd better start thinking of something different, and we'd better start thinking of something fast."

Kaine said yesterday that he remains baffled by the federal regulators' message, which contradicts what he said were clear indications over the past year that the project was on track and heading for approval. But he also said that Dulles rail is not dead and that he was heartened by Peters's willingness to listen to the state's concerns.

"There is some confusion," the governor said. "The good news is that Secretary Peters has said they want to get to the bottom of this."

Kaine said he would respond by Friday to Peters and Simpson, who said last week that the proposal would not qualify for federal funds because of concerns about the cost, the airports authority's ability to manage transit construction when it has never done so, and the Metro system's ability to operate a new line when it is already under-funded.

"This is a huge federal asset, a huge asset in this region," Kaine said. "There is really not an effective future for the growth of Dulles or the growth of the region without rail."

Staff writer Anita Kumar in Richmond contributed to this report.