advertisement

---

On Tuesday, the Fairfax County (Va.) Board confirmed that the county will participate in Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor rail project, which also is known as the Silver Line extension.

The second phase calls for constructing an 11.4-mile line through the corridor to Dulles and Loudoun County, Va.

“It is my hope that Phase 2 will move forward as planned, and we will all be able to take advantage of the enormous economic development opportunities the Silver Line extension will present,” said Fairfax County Board Chairperson Sharon Bulova in a prepared statement.

The board’s action followed a March 20 public hearing at which county officials sought information on the project’s cost and financing options. The second phase will cost $2.7 billion based on preliminary engineering estimates released by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority — about $1 billion less than earlier estimates. The reduction was achieved by eliminating an underground station at Dulles International Airport, value engineering cuts and project scope changes agreed to by the funding partners, county officials said.

Fairfax County has agreed to a “best effort” to pay for building the Route 28 Station, as well as a parking garage at the station and at Herndon Monroe outside the project, they said. Funding options under consideration include a public-private partnership, developer contributions, parking revenue, and federal or state grants. If the county is unsuccessful in funding the two garages and station outside the project, it will pay for 16.1 percent of those facilities’ cost, county officials said.

The county’s share for the entire Dulles rail project will range from $900 million to $965 million. Of that amount, about $730 million will be paid for with voluntary, special tax districts created by landowners, county officials said.