Virginia is Late on Revised Cost Data for Silver Line

The Federal Transit Agency (FTA), which controls the purse strings over the federal share of the Silver Line's funding, has indicated that the Commonwealth of Virginia is more than one month late in providing updated cost information for the project. The delay was disclosed in a letter to Congressmen Moran and Davis. The missing information is required before any final FTA funding decision can be made.

One possible explanation for the delay is that the Commonwealth is worried that the figures will not support federal funding. The project's earlier review concluded that the cost/benefit ratio for the multi-billion project was on the margin. Meanwhile, construction costs continue to escalate. Is the Governor's team scrambling to make cuts or find cost savings?

How about opening the project for bids? Why not return the route entirely to the Dulles Toll Road, with a single station for Tysons at Route 7? The landowners could then construct their own intra-Tysons circulator with light rail or buses.