Source::AP news
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will open the second and final phase of its Silver Line Metrorail extension on Nov. 15. The six new stations will for the first time connect the airport and the outer suburbs of Loudoun County to the region’s flagship mass transit system.
Metro also is working to regain the public’s confidence in its safety and reliability after multiple derailments and collisions over the years. But the second phase of the line didn’t qualify for federal money under cost-benefit analyses that were conducted, so state and local officials had to cobble together other funding sources. Those included taxing property owners along the line and sharply increasing tolls on the Dulles Toll Road.
Battles ensued over labor deals to construct the project and where the airport station should be. To save money, it was built near an airport parking garage rather than at the terminal, requiring a short walk of a few minutes, aided by moving walkways.
A contractor failed to mix some of the concrete properly and falsified records to hide the error. One man was sentenced to a year in prison, and Metro will have to apply a special solution to keep the concrete from cracking.
“Commuters may soon be ready to return to Metro. Road traffic is starting to return, and the automotive gridlock that once gripped the region may push people to consider mass transit again, especially Tuesdays through Thursdays when employers are more likely to require work from the office.” Said Matt Letourneau, a Loudoun County supervisor who also serves on the Metro board.
“The rail line is a game-changing development for Dulles. International travelers expect to be able to take transit to the center city. We’ll have that for them going forward.” said Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which runs Dulles and Reagan National Airport._AP news
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