Metro to Dulles Airport in Jeopardy?

Washington Post and other media outlets are reporting today that Virginia transportation officials are threatening to end talks with the private consortium seeking to build the metro extension to Dulles airport if a deal is not struck by April 5, potentially jeopardizing the future of this project. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority says the cost estimates are too high. Also we may lose $900 million dollars in Federal funds if the Federal Transit Administration decides that the project was not cost effective.

It is surprising to most visitors to our country that the busiest airport in the capital of the free world is not connected to a mass transit system. I do not have any expertise in appraising billion-dollar projects, but I do not understand how we are able to finance the visitors building for the capitol hill which has gone way over budget, or the "drunken sailor" spending going on in Baghdad, where in some cases US taxpayer dollars is available but it cannot be spent because of the security situation.

How come when it comes to projects that would improve the quality of life of US residents, strict federal criteria apply, meanwhile we do not have the same issue in Baghdad. I may be wrong, but I feel if this metro rail was being built by the US government in Baghdad, all these road blocks will not be there and money would not be an issue. More importantly by now, the construction would have started.

In my view, this project requires the same urgency and immediate attention of top government officials - Mary Peters - US transportation secretary, the Virginia congressional delegation and Governor Tim Kaine. This is just not a Northern Virginia problem, this airport serves the capital of our country. If the contractors are not being competitive price-wise, should we be talking to their competitors? Why can’t we get multiple cost estimates? Are they the only contractors that can work on this project? Maybe I am being too simplistic, but I just cannot understand.

I understand that we need to address the situation in the Tysons area ASAP -" tunnel or surface option", regarding this Tysons issue, I am neutral, but I do not want it to disrupt the schedule of this project. I hope the "for" and "against" crowd in Tysons will settle their differences without any further delay. Please call your elected representatives, April 5 is the deadline.