Loudoun plans bus service to Tysons during Metro construction

Loudoun County plans to launch a temporary bus service to employment centers in Tysons Corner next fall in an effort to ease traffic there during the most disruptive period of Metrorail construction.

The service is scheduled to run from September through the end of 2013, when the Wiehle Avenue Metro station is scheduled to be operating.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to accept $2.8 million in funding for the service from the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority allocated the funds to the project's transportation management plan.

The money will pay for four commuter coaches and hiring a full-time transit official to oversee the service.

Bus fare will be $3 one way. The buses will make seven runs each morning and evening from the Broadlands South and Leesburg park-and-ride lots to various stops at employment sites in the Tysons area.

When the service ends in 2013, it will be folded into Loudoun's commuter bus fleet and ferry riders to the Wiehle Avenue station, where they can board Metrorail to Tysons.

The Office of Transportation Services plans to hold public meetings and conduct other community outreach efforts early next year to solicit input from potential bus riders about routes and schedules.