Now comes word that construction of the Rail-to-Dulles project will be delayed a year. Fairfax County officials are blaming the Kaine administration, citing the five months it took to study the option of running the heavy rail line underneath Tysons Corner. Writes Lisa Rein with the Washington Post:
Exploring the tunnel no doubt cost planners and engineers valuable time, county supervisors agreed. But they also blamed the delays on what they called the state’s sluggish management.
“The tunnel was a valiant effort,” said Fairfax Supervisor T. Dana Kauffman (D-Lee). “But the state is visibly trying to blame someone other than itself for its delays in setting the terms and conditions of the project.” …
[Fairfax board chairman Gerald E.] Connolly and other supervisors also attributed the delays to a change in leadership at the Federal Transit Administration, where the top job was vacant for several months this year. They also said it took the state longer than expected to put in place a system to oversee the preliminary engineering.
Unstated in the article is a discussion of how much the delay will cost, given inflation in the construction industry. The commonly cited price tag of $4 billion for the project is based on estimates originally made in 2002. Another year’s delay could conceivably bump the project cost up to $5 billion. It’s not clear where that money would come from.