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FTA gives green light to Dulles rail
The Federal Transit Administration notified Congress on Wednesday that the first phase of the long-awaited Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project will be moved into its final design stage.“The project meets all the statutory requirements to move one rung closer to final design,” FTA Administrator James Simpson said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday.
The FTA will now provide $158.7 million to the project “to use toward completion of a financial plan, construction plans, detailed engineering specifications and cost estimates, and other technical requirements,” Simpson said in a statement.
The decision – coming months after the FTA expressed major concerns with the project – brings the the project one step closer to getting the essential $900 million in federal funds.
Simpson indicated in a Jan. 28 letter that the FTA could not approve the project.
"The sheer number and magnitude of the current project's technical, financial, and institutional risks and uncertainties are unprecedented," he said at that time.
Ninety days later, “the project is not the same. ... It's passing on everything ... this project is ready to move into final design.”
The changes to the project that have allowed it to qualify for final design approval seem to have mostly involved the project's finances and administration.
According to Simpson, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and state officials have now provided proper documentation for the over $200 million in cuts that Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) claimed had been made to the project last fall.
The FTA refused to recognize those cuts in January.
With the documentation, the FTA has upgraded the project's cost effectiveness to pass the statutory requirement, Simpson said.
Another FTA concern in January was the project's dependency on funds from the Dulles Toll Road.
“We had too many questions about the toll road revenue and the capacity of the toll road. My staff was not comfortable enough that the project could be built,” Simpson said.
Now, the FTA says that “more specific toll road revenue information” was provided, apparently easing concerns about the project's capital financing.
According to Simpson, the FTA's other concerns were about the level of interagency cooperation between the airports authority, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) and the private partners of the project.
During Wednesday's press conference, Simpson said that these issues would be addressed through changes in the project's management structure, including the appointment of an executive director for the project.
Despite allowing the project to go into final design, Simpson said that “one issue still remains” -- Metro's ability to handle an expanded rail system.
“This system needs a lot of money. What good is adding 22 percent capacity to a system if the system is not working?” Simpson asked.
Metro “recently identified $489 million in urgent unfunded capital needs over the next 6 years, above and beyond its capital plan,” wrote U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters in a letter to Kaine, urging Virginia to “guarantee the significant capital rehabilitation necessary” for Metro to be in good repair.
In a press conference Wednesday, Kaine described the problem of funding Metro's capital needs as “challenging.”
“It's critical that we find dollars for Metro” said Kaine, adding that he plans to bring the issue to the General Assembly in its special transportation session later this year. The General Assembly was already expected to approve $50 million for Metro this year, but for operating costs, not capital rehabilitation.
Federal dollars for the project could still be withheld if the Metro system is not improved, according to Simpson.
“This is a good step, but there's more work to be done,” Kaine said.
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