The Revitalist

Architect's rendering of the proposed Tyson's Corner station. (Di Domenico + Partners)

Here's an unintended consequence of the Big Dig: the Federal government is more reluctant to fund large scale transit projects (via Planetizen). The Dulles rail line in Washington DC that would connect the existing Metro system with the Dulles International Airport through Tysons Corner in northern Virginia. A recent report from consultants for the Federal Transit Administration said that the project met all the qualifications for federal funding. But FTA officials are now saying that the project may not be funded. (Previously, projects that met the qualifications were automatically funded.) The Congressional and State delegations that supported the project have been caught unawares. Anonymous officials are quoted in the article, saying that the Administration is "concerned about the price tag and the specter of another Big Dig. ... The agency has been reluctant to promote large-scale transit projects." Uh oh.