*The tunnel is vital for rational development of Tysons and surrounding communities.
Tonight in Tysons Corner, more than 200 people rallied in support of building a tunnel for the Tysons section of the Metro extension to Dulles Airport. Speakers included Sen. Chap Petersen, Supervisor John Foust, former Transportation Secretary William T. Coleman, Jr., TysonsTunnel president Scott Monett, Del. Dave Marsden, Vienna Mayor Jane Seeman, plus representatives from the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce, the Great Falls Citizens Association, the Town of Vienna, the Sierra Club, the Mantua Citizens Association, and many more.
The main points made by the speakers, over and over again, were:
*Building rail to Dulles with an "aerial" route through Tysons is the wrong way to go, and in fact could be on the biggest transportation blunders ever made in this region.
*We need to do this the right way - with competitive bidding as opposed to the current sole-source contract to Bechtel, with a tunnel through Tysons, etc., if we want Tysons Corner to develop into a great American city.
*The aerial alternative would be less attractive than a tunnel, less pedestrian friendly, less conducive to smart growth, more expensive, more time consuming, more disruptive, and more risky for the taxpayer. It's completely unacceptable.
*The vast majority of people in northern Virginia want a tunnel, how can it be dismissed without consideration?
*The aerial option is a "boondoggle" that will create the "Tysons Mixing Bowl."
More notes and photos after the "fold"*The tunnel is vital for rational development of Tysons and surrounding communities.
*Former Transportation Secretary Coleman ripped the aerial, calling it "irresponsible." Coleman urged everyone to contact Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and other representatives and demand that they take another look at this.
*Scott Monett gave an impassioned speech in which he called the aerial option a "concrete monster" and "completely unreasonable." Monett added that it is "strange and disturbing that most in our government refuse to listen to us" in our desire to do this project right, with a tunnel. "Something went terribly wrong in the Old Dominion and in Washington DC to allow this to happen without objection from anyone in government."
*Over and over again, speakers excoriated the lack of LEADERSHIP by our elected officials.
*Chap Petersen said that what is needed - but has been lacking - is "hope," "vision," and "accountability." Chap added that it was a "misconception" that federal money was contingent on whether the Metro goes above or below ground. That's simply not true.
*Dave Marsden said it would be a "tragic mistake" not to do this right, that we "can't afford to make this mistake."
Needless to say, I agree with all the speakers. I also agree with several people in the crowd I heard asking where a few key people were tonight -- Frank Wolf, Gerry Connolly, Tim Kaine, Sharon Bulova, for instance. I mean, this is only a multi-BILLION DOLLAR project that is crucial to the future of northern Virginia and, by extension, the Commonwealth as a whole. Hello "leaders"?!?
There was an interesting point that one of the speakers (frmr DOT head under Ford administration) made. Many people have said in the past that the Federal government's hands are tied because the State controls the project.
But they project is being built by the Airports authority, which has a Federal charter, and thus the Feds do have the ability to override and insist on a tunnel.
Speech for: "The People's Voice: Support the Tunnel!"
11/12/08
I am happy to join with all of you tonight, so that Washington may hear loud and clear, that we want a tunnel for Tyson's Corner and we will accept nothing less. Organizations in Fairfax and Arlington have joined together to honor the democratic process and make it emphatically clear that we all believe building an Aerial structure through Tyson's would be a huge mistake. We support rail to Dulles and the need for transit in the Dulles Corridor. Without much needed rail, traffic in our neighborhoods will
continue to worsen.
No greater monument to the failure of our political process could be imagined then the concrete monster being proposed through the middle of our shared city. Everyone from the youngest child to the wisest women agrees that building 50' high bridges through Tysons is completely unreasonable and will ruin any chance we have to develop it into a nice urban environment.
We know it in our hearts and we all find it strange and disturbing that most in our government refuse to
listen to us.
For over two years now, we have struggled to make it clear that a tunnel is our preference and the locally preferred option. We even did the engineering work, to expedite the process and make it easier to accomplish. Yet our continued calls for help go unanswered.
This is unacceptable. The battle shouldn't have to be fought in courtrooms or through the media. In fact we are confounded that a battle was needed at all, especially when the Governor's own engineering panel recommended a tunnel. We are facing a sad truth that the sole source contract cannot be untangled, accept by some miracle.
We are told that there are too many jobs and too much money tied to it. We are not unreasonable, though we find it surprising that this could happen so close to the seats of power in this country and with so little transparency. Something went terribly wrong in the Old Dominion and in Washington DC to allow this to happen without objection from anyone in government. However, we may be forced to accept the contract as it is apparently knotted up too tight.
Bechtel has built some of the most difficult projects in this country and around the world. Are their engineers not capable of delivering what their true customer wants? Are they afraid of an engineering challenge? That's not the Bechtel I know.
If we are forced to accept a deal that is not to our liking in order to get a tunnel for Tysons Corner, I think it's fair that we ask for a few things in return. First, the federal share of the project should be increased to limit the financial exposure of the toll road user and the local tax payer. This project is funded 80% local, 20% federal. Highway funding is split 50% Federal, 25% State and 25% local.
I believe increasing the federal share well beyond 20% is reasonable, especially since this project will serve the nations international airport and will be an example to the rest of the nation of good transit oriented development.
Second, we must bring proven wide bore tunneling technology to the United States and implement it in this country so that projects in other cities and states can benefit from its efficiencies of cost and time and have the option to avoid similar blight in their own communities.
Third, limits should be set to protect the taxpayers and toll road users so we are not the ones stuck with the bill because our government failed in their obligation to protect us. Everyone has a cap on their financial exposure, except us locals.
Lastly, I urge the New Obama administration to support us and ensure that Tysons Corner is developed as a model of transit oriented development done the right way so that we can all be proud of this multibillion dollar investment instead of embarrassed.
I appreciate all of you attending this evening and am deeply grateful for your support. Without you, I would have given up long ago. It is our shared future and that of our children and grand children that we all are fighting for here. Don't give up, don't buy into the pro-aerial rhetoric and continue to spread the good word. Be sure to demand of your elected officials that we want this fixed. There is only one thing we will accept and that's "Under, not Over". Thank you for your continued help and support.