Kaine Abandons Tysons Tunnel Plan

A proposal to build a Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport underground through Tysons Corner is dead after federal transit officials and members of Congress told Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) in the strongest terms that switching to a tunnel could imperil the entire $4 billion project.

"We carefully reviewed the tunnel option at Tysons, and I share the belief of many of our project partners that a tunnel alignment would be the best option," Kaine said in a statement. "However, too many unanswered questions remain about cost and timing. These uncertainties cannot be allowed to jeopardize this critical project."

Kaine's decision in favor of an elevated track through Tysons was a surprise, coming just a week after contractors, local officials and others involved in the project had expected an announcement in favor of a below-ground route. But Kaine delayed that announcement because word of an imminent decision for a tunnel provoked a concerted push from influential skeptics. Among those opposed to the four-mile tunnel were officials in the Federal Transit Administration, which must approve the project, and Representatives Tom Davis (R) and Frank Wolf (R), the extension's top congressional sponsors, and they had a series of last-minute meetings with the governor and his staff.

The decision means the project's contractors will now resume their original plans for building an elevated track, which will be about 35 feet high on average, down Chain Bridge Road (Route 123) and Leesburg Pike (Route 7).

Those plans have been effectively on hold in recent months while the tunnel option was being considered, which means that the start of construction, initially scheduled for early next year, will likely be pushed back by at least six months. The 23-mile rail extension was initially supposed to reach Tysons by 2011 and Dulles by 2015, but today officials said the goal for reaching Tysons has been pushed back a year.

The unexpected dropping of the tunnel proposal after months of increased momentum for that option dismayed tunnel supporters, who include Fairfax County leaders, Metrorail officials and Tysons landowners. Supporters argued that a tunnel, while more costly, would cause far less disruption during construction and contribute far more to Fairfax County's vision of transforming Tysons into a vibrant, walkable downtown. An elevated track, they say, will be an unsightly barrier running through the middle of the area.

"It's painful to say, but I believe this will prove to be the wrong decision for the wrong reasons," said Fairfax Supervisor T. Dana Kauffman (D-Lee), who is also on the Metro board. "Ten years from now, I regret my son may pick up a planning text where Fairfax's long awaited rail extension is highlighted as a failed attempt at service and economic development. It can't only be about the here and now."