Ladies and gentlemen, your Tysons Metro contractor:Ladies and gentlemen, your Tysons Metro contractor:
State and federal authorities announced a settlement of $458.2 million with the firms that designed and managed the Big Dig to avoid criminal charges and civil liability stemming from leaks, the fatal ceiling collapse, and other flaws that have plagued the project.
Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the consortium that oversaw the Big Dig design and construction, will pay $407 million, and 24 other companies will pay about $51 million, US Attorney Michael Sullivan said this afternoon at a press conference.
"Massachusetts Highway and the citizens of Massachusetts entrusted Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff to act as their eyes and ears on the Central Artery Project," Sullivan said. "They grossly failed to meet their obligations and responsibilities to the citizens of Massachusetts and the United States."
Questions about Bechtel, its no-bid contract, and the choice of the aerial option have been covered extensively here at RK and by Marc Fisher. Let's just hope nobody dies in NoVA, hmm?
Please Do This ASAP!
Starting today, FTA community and media spokesman Wes Irvin should hear DIRECTLY from each and every one of us. Let's tell him we appreciate FTA's careful examination of the Dulles Rail Project and that we too care deeply about the project. However, the citizens of Northern Virginia want it done right, even if that takes a bit more time.Remember, we are asking them for $900 million for this project and we want them to know we support all of their efforts to better the project.
Important: We have complete faith in the FTA's ability to properly review this project. As a federal grant-making body, it functions to make sure that state transportation projects satisfy common-sense requirements such as competitive-bidding, proper supervision, adequate benefit to the public, etc.
We support the FTA to do what is right for us - they must know that they are not alone in the belief that this project can and should be made better through competitive-bidding.
Let us voice our support for what they are doing!
Your contact TODAY with FTA will take just a few minutes of your time, but make such a HUGE difference.
What We Each MUST Do NOW!
1) E-mail, fax, or call Wes Irvin at FTA:* e-mail: wes.irvin@dot.gov, Subject line: Fix Dulles Rail
* fax: 202.366.3472
* phone: 202.366.50052) Kindly let Mr. Irvin know that:
* you disagree with your local election representative(s),
* you DO NOT want the elevated rail; you prefer the tunnel,
* you support FTA in its role of responsible administration, and,
* you believe that this project MUST be competively bid to ensure the best value for taxpayers.3) E-mail, fax or call your elected representative(s) - see letters and letter-signers below - to let them know how you feel, and that you disagree with their lobbying efforts for elevated rail, done ostensibly on your behalf.
E-mail, fax or call your elected representative(s)...to let them know how you feel, and that you disagree with their lobbying efforts for elevated rail, done ostensibly on your behalf.*January 18, 2008 letter from following local Virginia Assembly Legislators to FTA in support of advancing ELEVATED rail. Signatories are:
Del. Chuck Caputo
Email: delccaputo@house.state.va.us
Fax: 866.903.8685
Phone: 804.698.1067Sen. Mark Herring
Email: district33@sov.state.va.us
Fax: 804.698.7651
Phone: 804.698.7533Sen. Janet Howell
Email: district32@sov.state.va.us
Fax: 804.698.7651
Phone: 804.698.7532Del. Dave Marsden
Email: deldmarsden@house.state.va.us
Fax: 804.786.6310
Phone: 804.698.1041Del. Joe May
Email: deljmay@house.state.va.us
Fax: 804.786.6310
Phone: 804.698.1033Sen. Chap Petersen
Email: district34@sov.state.va.us
Fax: 804.698.7651
Phone: 804.698.7534Del. Ken Plum
Email: delkplum@house.state.va.us
Fax: 804.786.6310
Phone: 804.698.1036Del. Dave Poisson
Email: deldpoisson@house.state.va.us
Fax: 804.786.6310
Phone: 804.698.1032Del. Tom Rust
Email: deltrust@house.state.va.us
Fax: 804.786.6310
Phone: 804.698.1086Sen. Dick Saslaw
Email: district35@sov.state.va.us
Fax. 804.698.7651
Phone: 804.698.7535Del. Jim Scott
Email: deljscott@house.state.va.us
Fax: 804.786.6310
Phone: 804.698.1053Del. Steve Shannon
Email: delsshannon@house.state.va.us
Fax: 804.786.6310
Phone: 804.698.1035Del. Margi Vanderhye
Email: delmvanderhye@house.state.va.us
Fax: 804.786.6310
Phone: 804.698.1034Del. Vivian Watts
Email: delvwatts@house.state.va.us
Fax: 804.786.6310
Phone: 804.698.1039Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple
Email: district31@sov.state.va.us
Fax: 804.698.7651
Phone: 804.698.7531
...the tunnel concept offers the opportunity for high-quality, long-term mixed-use development in Northern Virginia's "downtown." Accusations that Virginia's Public Private Transportation Act was used to avoid adequate competition have supporters on both sides concerned.Those groups must now be brought together for a common goal. By including the tunnel through Tysons and moving quickly to hold a competitive bid, the project will be improved and the community will unite behind it. Our political leaders, starting with Gov. Tim Kaine (D), must step forward to support this approach and insist that the agencies involved deliver.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Ours may the biggest environmental victory in Virginia in years.
Everyone thinks you can't beat the BIG, NO-BID contract guys, their privatizing schemes, and their PPTA proposals. Don't believe it!