Scott Monett kicked things off with an update of where things stand on the tunnel. According to Scott, Chairman Oberstar - the most powerful man in the House of Representatives on transportation issues - recently said point blank that the only way to do this is with a tunnel in Tysons. This isn't just a local issue, it will affect the entire region and also help determine how we handle urban "edge cities" all around the country. According to Scott Monett, we don't want this "elevated, ugly thing."
Today, the Sierra Club came out with a letter asking the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors "to lead an effort to fully consider tunneling under the Tysons portion of the Dulles Corridor Rail Project." (see full letter on the "flip" after the pic's). According to Scott, tunnel boring technology makes this a good value, in addition to the fact that a tunnel will be far better for the environment - and that includes humans! - than an aerial structure. It's up to us to make Tysons a great place, or do nothing and allow Tysons to become a nasty place. What we're up against is the largest privately held construction company in the world. It's the people vs. the status quo. We need YOU to help!
Sen. Petersen said that the bottom line on this project is that it's still "so uncertain." Yet "our message has been consistent - keep all options on the table." We want to be part of a positive, constructive dialogue. This is a time of tremendous transition, changes in county, state and national leadership. So, when people say that the tunnel has been looked at and rejected, the question is, "rejected by whom?" We're not trying to dictate solutions...
Supervisor Foust said that we're lucky to have Chap Petersen in the state senate, and we're lucky to have Scott Monett leading the TysonsTunnel effort. Also, pleased to see the Sierra Club leadership here tonight; you can't go too far wrong when the Sierra Club takes a position.
According to Foust, there's been a lot of pushback on this project has come from Reston. They're concerned about putting the project at risk. But Foust doesn't think people in Reston would like it "if we were to push an elevated rail through the center of Reston." Aerial is "not in our best interests." Just give us an opportunity to look at the tunnel, we are NOT asking to put the project at risk. Had they looked at this 22 months ago, designers would be busy working on the tunnel by now. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has voted four times in favor of a tunnel. We need to convince people that a tunnel doesn't jeopardize the entire project. The next time we get together, it should be a victory party...everyone agrees we need a tunnel under Tysons.
Keith Fimian declared that "if it's not a tunnel, I'm not for it." He said that it doesn't make any sense to build an aerial alignment, that he is a strong advocate for the tunnel.
After brief comments by a representative from 8th CD Republican candidate Mark Ellmore (also a strong tunnel supporter), Fairfax County Republican Committee chair Jim Hyland declared, "if it's not a tunnel, we're not for it." Hyland added that an aerial option will be the "ruination of Tysons," and that we "have to have it as a tunnel." There's lots of talk that it's too late, but recent experience has demonstrated that things can change dramatically in just 45 days when the right people get involved and put on pressure.
Former FCDC chair Ginny Peters said that we need to get people off the roads. She called the aerial option an "abomination." According to Peters, the tunnel will help all of us, not just Tysons but the entire area.
July 26, 2008
Gerry Connolly, Chairman
Members of the Board
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
12000 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035-0079Dear Chairman Connolly and Members of the Board:
We are encouraged by the emerging political environment promising substantially increased support for urban mass transit and how this environment may beneficially impact plans for MetroRail construction through Tysons Corner. When the wide bore tunneling technology became recognized as an option, Dulles Corridor MetroRail Project planners, County Board members, the Governor, as well as the Northern Virginia public were excited by the technology's capacity to deliver the advantages of a tunnel under Tysons Corner at reduced construction costs. Most agreed this technology would help to make us all proud of a new Tysons Corner. The approach was soon unjustly maligned by vested interests fearing lost economic advantages a change could bring.
When the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) expressed its objections to the Dulles Corridor MetroRail Project and dropped support in its astonishing reversal last February, construction of the Project appeared to be at risk. In our letter to you of April 28th, 2008, (copy enclosed), we expressed our sense that FTA's bewildering behavior presented an opportunity for reconsideration of the various design and cost problems caused by the Commonwealth's reliance on the Public Private Transportation Act as the Project's procurement mechanism. One of the procurement issues ignored by the FTA was the failure of the PPTA's hasty process to consider the advantages of wide-bore tunnel technology.
On July 7th, 2008, Congressman James Oberstar gave new impetus to this idea at Congressman Jim Moran's town hall meeting on the future of rail in Northern Virginia. As the keynote speaker, Congressman Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, offered an optimistic vision of federal support of rail transit under a new Administration next year. Among its transforming principles will be a substantially enhanced role for local rail transit in suburban communities. During his speech, Congressman Oberstar implied that the FTA will be expected to hold local preferences with renewed regard that will yield many of the attributes sought locally. Pledging to promote urban mass transit of a caliber "we can be proud of," Congressman Oberstar specifically identified the tunnel for Tysons as a superior and cost-competitive alternative feature that would begin to define how future mass urban transit will be supported by the federal government.
In view of this history and Congressman Oberstar's vision of greater dependency on urban transit, we are following up on our letter of April 28th to ask the Board to lead an effort to fully consider tunneling under the Tysons portion of the Dulles Corridor Rail Project. We believe that this can be done without jeopardizing the Project's funding or harming the progress on the elevated plan and that among its merits may be lower construction costs.
It is widely understood that should there be a decision to make such a change to the Project, additional environmental study would have to be performed. In that regard, we are asking you to support passage of a resolution by the Board of Supervisors demanding the Project's sponsor (the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and, where appropriate, VDOT) request the FTA to do the following:
* Undertake the appropriate environmental review as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for wide-bore (40 ft. or greater in diameter) tunneling. Tysons Tunnel, Inc. has prepared preliminary engineering drawings and supporting reports which could be used to expedite this process.
* Fully consider the wide-bore tunneling option by analyzing, evaluating, and considering the congestion relief, improved pedestrian mobility, decreased air and noise pollution (including reduced CO2 emissions), and other economic and environmental benefits of a tunnel. FTA's cost assessments were flawed in that they ignored these legislatively mandated criteria. Thus the project's impact on the County's transformative vision for Tysons Corner's' future development was not a considered factor. Federal criteria will likely defer more favorably to local preferences and needs under the next Administration.
* Assign the funding needed to complete the environmental review from the $159 million recently approved and appropriated for this activity from New Starts Funds.It is widely accepted that the tunnel is the superior approach and the Board recognized this early last year. We believe the upcoming change in Administration and the pledge by Congressman Oberstar to support a Tysons tunnel initiative have created an opportunity to fairly consider the tunnel option. We appreciate the implications that the aerial plan is currently being advanced into final design and that utility relocation work is currently underway. Nonetheless, there are major financial and other issues remaining to be resolved, notwithstanding the immense importance for Tysons Corner and Northern Virginia of completing the entire Silver Line Project to Dulles. Undertaking the environmental review of the tunnel requires a modest investment for gaining access to the anticipated advantages a tunnel would bring. It would:
1. Allow the current efforts on the aerial plan to proceed without interruption since the environmental review of a wide bore tunnel alternative would not risk any standing approvals of the aerial plan.
2. Satisfy a major concern of the community that the tunnel has not been adequately considered - especially given most of the resources for the Project are coming from Northern Virginia tax payers and toll road users.
3. Remove any uncertainty surrounding the NEPA environmental review of the tunnel so that it could be included in the Project in a timely manner thus creating a more cost effective and environmentally sound project when all of the ancillary benefits of the tunnel are properly considered.
4. Address the non-competition problems caused by the PPTA's processes that violate federal procurement rules designed to obtain the best price for meeting the public's requirements and were a major reason used by the FTA to defend its February reversal.
5. Create a national demonstration initiative through this multi-track process of renewed commitment to comprehensive environmental and economic analyses, technological innovation, and infrastructure investment that is responsive to local preferences and climate change mitigation.
6. If the outcome is successful, demonstrate possibilities for how Phase Two could adopt tunneling under Reston to bring similar benefits consistent with its founding principles.
7. Contribute to the Fairfax goal for lowering its CO2 emissions that is inherent in the reduced auto-dependent layout envisioned by most of us for the future Tysons Corner.
8. If approved and ultimately included in the Project, provide the lasting economic and environmental benefits for the Tysons community that would come with the tunnel plan.Our request presents no risk to the current Project, can be completed in sufficient time to be selected, and is a relatively small investment that promises enormous additional benefits to the Project, the community, the economy, and the environment - both near and long term. The Board expressed its preference for the tunnel option in its public meetings last year, even indicating that moving forward with the aerial plan would leave hope for a tunnel. Congressman Oberstar's conviction that a tunnel is the best long term investment for Tysons and our Nation, opens new avenues for demonstrating national leadership for infrastructure design. We ask you now to follow through on your optimism for a Tysons tunnel by joining with Chairman Oberstar in leading an effort to increase the viability of the tunnel plan and create the opportunity to include it in the Project.
Very truly yours,
Great Falls Group, Sierra Club Mt. Vernon Group, Sierra Club
Linda Freimark, Chair Mary Kadera, Chair
12610 Lake Normandy Lane, Fairfax, VA 22030 715 S. Columbus St, Alexandria, VA 22314