A D.C. Area Transit Line That Was Nearly Stillborn Is Set to Be a Reality

MOST MORNINGS, Northern Virginia commuters can stare at the slow-moving line of cars on Interstate 66 or the Beltway and silently curse elected officials for not doing enough to alleviate congestion. Today, they can let out a cheer -- or, at least, a small sigh of relief. A coalition of Virginia and federal leaders put aside party differences to rescue a proposed rail line to Dulles International Airport that seemed, months ago, to have no chance of construction. Their efforts were rewarded yesterday when the federal government formally agreed to contribute $900 million to the project. There are still details to work out, but this is a breakthrough for long-suffering commuters.

Yesterday's announcement ends a scramble to restart a plan long in the works to extend Metrorail through Tysons Corner to Dulles. Years of studies proved the line's feasibility, and it seemed that the project was ready to go. Then the Federal Transit Administration made a decision in January 2008 that shocked the backers of rail to Dulles: There would no federal funding for the extension.

What happened next is heartening to anyone who doubts the capacity of elected officials to put aside ideology and work for their constituents. In private meetings and countless phone calls, officials including Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D); Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce R. Homer; then-Sen. John W. Warner (R); his replacement, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D); then-Rep. Tom Davis (R); his replacement, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D); and Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R) lobbied to revive the project. Then-Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters listened to their appeals and eventually relented. With a final push from the new administration and the signature of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday authorizing the funds, the turnaround was complete. Construction will start within weeks.

There's much hard work ahead. Construction will temporarily close parts of Route 7, inconveniencing thousands. The $900 million covers less than one-fifth of the $5.2 billion cost of the project and applies only to the first phase, which extends the Orange Line from the East Falls Church Metro station to Reston. Funding the second phase of the line, which will extend to Dulles and into Loudoun County, will require special taxes on commercial property and a possible increase in tolls on the Dulles Toll Road.

It will be difficult to secure the revenue in an economic downturn, but the project is worth the effort. Rail to Dulles is about more than easing congestion. The project in the short term will generate hundreds of jobs. In the long term, the line should help spur transit-oriented growth, including the mixed-use redevelopment of Tysons Corner. Officials should savor the triumph, but congestion in Northern Virginia will worsen, even with the Dulles extension. If Virginia's leaders could channel even a fraction of the enthusiasm and unity that rescued the transit line into other worthy projects, there's no telling what they could accomplish.