Office of Public Affairs
DOT 27-09
Contact: Paul Griffo, Tel.: 202-366-4064
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Signs $900 Million Agreement to
Fund Wiehle Avenue Extension of Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
WASHINGTON—U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today committed $900
million in U.S. Department of Transportation funds through 2016 to the
$3.1 billion Wiehle Avenue Extension of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail
Project. Participating in the full funding grant agreement ceremony at
Transportation headquarters were Secretary LaHood, Governor Tim Kaine,
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Chairman H.R. Crawford,
members of the Virginia congressional delegation and other MWAA officials.
“This project comes at a pivotal point as the Obama Administration begins
to make vast improvements to our nation’s top transit systems,” Secretary
LaHood said. “It will create construction jobs, encourage economic
development opportunities, and help Tysons Corner become a more livable
community.”
“On behalf of the Airports Authority board of directors, I want to thank
all of our partners who have worked so hard to make this project happen,”
Crawford said. “This is one of the most important transportation projects
to be developed in this region and will finally extend Metrorail along the
Dulles Corridor and help relieve traffic congestion in Northern Virginia.”
The 11.7-mile heavy rail line will be an extension to the existing
Metrorail system just east of the West Falls Church station through Tysons
Corner to its terminus at Wiehle Ave. in Reston, Va. The Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will operate the line from the
Stadium-Armory station in Washington to Wiehle Ave. MWAA plans to design
and construct a second phase, which will extend the line beyond Dulles
Airport into Loudoun County.
When complete, this project will consist of five new stations,
improvements to an existing rail yard, 64 new rail cars, and 2,300 parking
spaces at the Wiehle Ave. station. The Metrorail project would expand
capacity to and from Reston and the Tysons Corner regional activity
centers, and provide a direct rail link for commuters from northwest
Fairfax and Loudoun Counties to employment opportunities in Tysons Corner,
the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, and downtown Washington.
The extension is projected to serve 85,700 daily riders by 2030, including
an estimated 10,000 new daily transit riders.
-END-