It would make sense now to go back and look at running Metro up the Dulles Toll Road median and not go elevated through Tysons Corner.

The Tysons stop could be at the Spring Hill bus transfer station, or there could be two Tysons stops, one near USA TODAY's headquarters and the other near Route 7.

This would save hundreds of millions of dollars and the Metro could arrive years sooner.

A connecting light rail circulator could then be built at ground level and serve a larger portion of Tysons than the planned four stops.

Why spend the money on an elevated sytem or a tunnel?

So much for Tom Davis' supposed clout on the Hill. Congress can vote highways to god knows where and anti-terorist funds for Montana but it can't approve a much needed rail tunnel for one of the most heavily trafficked regions in the country. Northern Virginians' loss is Bechtel's gain. I hope Bechtel campaign contributions to Davis and friends had nothing to do with Davis' sudden impotence.

Running Metro in the median along Tysons northern boundary will preserve the option for the future of building a tunnel through Tysons.

Perhaps the landowners near the 4 planned stations could fund the tunnel themselves in the future.

The rail in the median could then continue to serve as an express bypass for Dulles to DC riders.

Jim A: Please look at the Final EIS for the project. The State's own data show that spending this much money -- tunnel or no tunnel -- provides no measurable traffic relief. Any gains achieved by Metro's arrival are quickly taken away by all the added density and new residents' cars that would also arrive with the rezoning of Tysons. If we are going to spend billions of dollars, shouldn't we see actual reductions in traffic congestion?

Look, Davis isn't well liked even in Republican circles, but this bombs vs. rail tunnel ranting is off-base.

The Feds are running huge deficits, and Davis should be congratulated for not letting this turn into another Big Dig money pit.

Where was all this opposition to an aerial line through Tysons during the hearings over the last decade? The recent push for the tunnel by West Group looked too much like bait and switch.

Most taxpayers are fed up with that limitless pork mentality for government funded projects.

For years, citizens who have poured over the environmental impact study results have always agreed with the findings of the study.....the rail will not relieve congestion.

As noted earlier, when the Board of Supervisors approves all the high density projects for Tysons Corner, drivers will be stuck in gridlock for hours. How long does it take to establish squatter's rights on a piece of property?

There should be rail to Dulles....not just to Tysons Corner. Put in one stop at Tysons and the rail could be built out to Dulles. In fact, the best plan would be to start the one stop in Tysons and also start at Dulles. Aftr the rail line meets, if funds are left, then return to Tysons for the underground.

dulles rail = no roads
and still one set of tracks through the roslyn tunnel
enjoy!

Sounds like a lot of sour grapes to me.

Build the tunnel.

to the "love tolls and taxes"....please post and include your name and address...I will happily pass my tolls and tax charges on to you!

Again, why should people from Loudoun have to pay higher and higher tolls to use a road that was supposed to have the tolls lifted years ago? We are getting tired of subsidizing special interest groups...developer interest....and might I add......supervisor interest in both Loudoun and Fairfax Counties.

I favor above ground tracks for Tysons. They would be perfectly functional. To paraphrase the oft-quoted boat line, a tunnel is a hole in the ground you throw money into.

The cost versus benefits of four Tysons stations shows primary benefits go to:

1) The West Group, Tyson's largest landowner and Connelly's former employer and biggest or next-biggest contributor to Connolly, Prov. Supervisor Smyth, and until recently Tysons Land Use Task Force Interim Chair Delegate Jim Scott;

2) SAIC, whose property is at site of a far-flung proposed station, is Connolly's current employer and until recently the employer of the Planning Commission's Transit-Oriented Development Committee chair Walter Alcorn (who is now a private consultant - who are his clients?);

3) A batch of contractors, builders, consultants and lawyers who stand to make a boatload off of rail.

In contrast, the majority of the costs will be borne in one way or another by ordinary taxpayers (despite the special tax district, higher density = higher taxes, and higher debt as more bonds are issued for the resulting needs for more transportation, schools and parks), and of course toll road users.

In other words, a well-connected few reap the most benefits in the name of the community, who really end up paying the price.

This is all very reminiscent of New York's Boss Tweed, who along with his infamous Tammany Hall Ring including the Mayor and City Comptroller among others. They would oddly enough just happen to buy up property on city roads that were the first to be widened and paved. The city issued loads of bonds, which ended up burdening taxpayers for decades - a detail which by now is forgotten.

A Ring member famously defended this so-called "honest graft" thusly: "I seen my opportunities, and I took 'em."

It took the New York Times and Harpers Weekly a year of dogged reporting to get the truth out, even as they faced debilitating revenue shortages as the City refused to advertise in those publications, among other retaliatory moves. And even after the exposure, Tweed's allies, toadies and papers that got the most ad revenue cheered him by the thousands. He was also cheered by the small handful of property owners who also happened to benefit from the paving projects.

This new Ring needs to be exposed. The courage of the 1870's NY Times is badly needed once more.

I really don't see the big deal about the tunnel. Overhead tracks are fine with me! Tysons Corner is an awful, awful place and I try to spend as little time there as possible. I don't know how you fix it, other than level it all and start over. Tysons was permitted to develop in illogical fashion and I guess I have to blame decades of County government for that. It's a horrible, concrete-laden, over-paved, slice of urbanized h-e-double- hockey-sticks with no way to walk from point A to point B. I'd be more into spending money on the tunnel if we could knock it all down and start over... which, of course, we cannot do. Tracks are fine. They will just add to the lack of aesthetic appeal in Tysons Corner, a place with little charm. At some point, Tysons will get to be such a strange urban eyesore, I predict that it may well become a Roadside America attraction. (And then the FFX "marks the spot" folks will have a bonafide, unique tourist draw.)

Anne - you are so correct about Tysons being poorly designed and built. Even the Denver Tech Center, which is far from perfect, is heads and tails above Tysons Corner in just about every aspect.

That's another thing that's so outrageous about the rhetoric we hear from elected officials and the "business community." Why would anyone seeking urban charm and culture and also being in her or his right mind elect to live at Tysons Corner? If I wanted an urban lifestyle, there's Washington, Alexandria or even parts of Arlington, but Tysons Corner? All we'll ever see there are bigger buildings in an unwalkable area bi-sected with the "El." You are so correct, the elevated train track just fits Tysons' image.

Of course my post was a little tongue in cheek!

I really dislike Tysons and I really don't shop or eat there. Elevated tracks would not really work. Although it would provide warped entertainment to watch Tysons get worse in the short term, I am sure that none of us really want to see it get worse, since so many people do work there. I listened to a fellow from a citizens association in Vienna talk about his disappointment and his perspective was a good one because it was regional and long term and about more than just his neighborhood. Basically, this thing, whatever thing gets built, is going to cost a lot and is going to have sticking power. Everyone, not just in Tysons but in surrounding communities, is going to live with it for many years. Metro riders are going to live with it for many years. It is really important to get this right.