Tea party Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jamie Radtke has unveiled a proposal to abolish the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and give the state the option to operate the Dulles Toll Road,Washington Dulles International Airport and Reagan Washington National Airport.
Radtke said the authority's spending for the Dulles Metrorail Project "is largely funded by Virginians in Loudoun and Fairfax counties and those who use the Dulles Toll Road. Yet MWAA is not accountable to the people of the commonwealth of Virginia or their elected representatives, or for that matter to any federal agency or entity."
Radtke said that in 2006, then-Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, now a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, gave the airports authority "unfettered power and control of the Dulles Toll Road and its revenues, without General Assembly or congressional approval, expanding MWAA's congressionally chartered role of operating and expanding Dulles International and Reagan National airports."
The MWAA board's decision to build an underground station at Washington Dulles International Airport and its escalating cost has led many to second-guess the decision to transfer authority of the Dulles Metrorail project to MWAA, though Kaine's decision had broad bipartisan support at the time, including that of Republican George Allen, now another Senate candidate.
"Governor Kaine continues to support the position of the local governments in Fairfax and Loudoun counties who have said this project will cost too much if built underground and urges the airport authorities to be responsive to their concerns," said Kaine spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine.
1 comment:
I have been following this transit project sense it inception in 1999.
There has been a lot of angst about the total cost of this metrorail project sense the first projected estimates were published. Costs have soared from $3.5 billion to well past $6.5 billion.
The region authority, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), that will operate the line and the all the stake holders agreed that the station at the airport would be underground.
The FTA during the Bush Administration agreed to a funding grant of $900 million on the condition that the grant would only be used to pay for the first 11.5 mile of the 23 mile line. The remaining 11.5 mile would be paid for with state and local funds. This was the first time in the history of the construction metrorail system that federal capital funding grants will not be used.
MWAA took over management of the construction of the project shortly after the agreement was made with the FTA.
The primary reason why so many are ganging up on MWAA and blaming them for who and how it will be paid for can be traced back to the funding agreement made with the FTA during the Bush Administration.
During most of the last 40 years the transit projects across the United States have been funded using a percentage split between the state, local and federal governments. The splits ranged from 40% - 60% to 80%- 20%, the notable exception being the 20% - 80% split used to fund roughly 25% first miles of the existing 106 mile metrorail system in Washington DC.
As it stand now the equivalent of the federal funding grant will be paid for out of toll road revenue.
MWAA will be the greatest beneficiary of the station at the airport regardless of where it is built. WMAA has made no proposal to fund the any costs of the second 11.5 miles of the project out of revenues generated directly from the operation airport.
Sand Box John
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