Friday, March 29, 2013
The contractors plans to deliver project on time, but contingencies are in place to keep rail on track.
After reports that delays on a rail yard project at West Falls Church could delay the start date for the Metro’s Silver Line, a representative for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority denies the claim. MWAA is constructing the 23-mile Silver Line extension. Marcia McAllister, spokeswoman for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, an arm of MWAA, acknowledged the contractor’s schedule had slipped on the Falls Church rail yard. The rail yard is needed to help accommodate the additional trains operating along the Silver Line, which will run from East Falls Church to Reston in its first phase and beyond to Ashburn when complete. McAllister said the part of the rail yard project experiencing delays was a service and inspection …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Flight that took off from Reagan National diverted to Dulles after reportedly having a possible pressurization issue, according to WUSA.
An American Airlines flight heading from Washington D.C. to Dallas made an emergency landing at Dulles Airport Wednesday afternoon due to a pressurization issue, after taking off from Reagan National Airport according to a WUSA report that quotes Rob Yingling of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. The American Airline pilots may have had a pressurization issue on American Airlines Flight #1491. The pilots apparently landed the plane on Runway 1C at Dulles. The plane circled Dulles before landing at approximately 2:15 p.m. Emergency vehicles were standing by. A new flight report from American shows it will take off from Dulles at 3:45 p.m. and land at Dallas at 6:20 p.m. The original landing time was 3:13 p.m. Central Time.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Three officials allegedly worked with GOP in Virginia to oust Democrats from the organization responsible for building the Silver Line.
Three members of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors allegedly worked with Republican officials in Virginia to orchestrate the removal of Mame Reiley and union supporter Dennis Martire from the board, according to a story published Wednesday on American University Radio's (WAMU 88.5) website. MWAA and its board have come under scrutiny in recent years after an audit discovered questionable practices, including sweetheart deals for former board members, questionable travel expenses and nepotism. Martire was among those named for his activities, particularly an expensive trip on behalf of the organization. The Democratic members were removed, despite the internal review of MWAA raising much broader concerns. …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
MWAA calls incident "minor" and no hazards were found. No flights are delayed.
Two United Airlines aircrafts reportedly touched Thursday afternoon when one of the planes pulled up to an adjacent gate at Washington Dulles International Airport. When the planes arrived at the gate, it appeared the wing of one aircraft was extremely close to the aircraft parked at the next gate, said Rob Yingling, spokesperson for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. No hazards and no leaking from either plane was found, Yingling said, and no one was injured during the incident. The incident has not delayed or interrupted flights at the airport, he said.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Frank Wolf (R-10th)'s legislation would give Virginia more appointees on the MWAA Board of Directors, but supervisors want a hand in the appointment process.
As U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) prepares a bill that would change the makeup of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Board of Directors, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are asking him to include language that would give Northern Virginia more influence in appointing members. The MWAA Board — which has been sharply criticized by Virginia officials in Fairfax and elsewhere for its handling of the Dulles Metrorail project, including a squabble over a labor agreement for Phase 2 of the line that will run from Reston to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County — currently includes three presidential appointees, five appointees from Virginia, three from D.C. and three from Maryland. Wolf’s proposed legislation …
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The 500 millionth passenger was estimated to have passed through the Dulles International Airport around noon Friday, June 15.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Dulles International Airport threw a surprise party for the passengers waiting to board United Airlines flight No. 1172 on Friday, June 15, in celebration of the airport's 500 millionth passenger. The party included cake, beverages and an extra suprise for a lucky passenger, according to an MWAA press release. The airport opened in 1962 and United Airlines has had a hub at Dulles for 25 years. One traveler on the flight was selected as the person to receive the symbolic honor of being passenger number 500 million. The Los Angeles-bound passenger and his wife were presented with a framed picture of the iconic airport terminal, designed by Eero Saarinen, as well as a parking voucher good for…
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Bulova says "We will continue to identify ways to address the affordability of rates on the Dulles Toll Road. "
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Last week, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) released new cost estimates for Phase II of Rail to Dulles. These new estimates are $1 billion lower than previous estimates and are consistent with what we have been working with during the past year. Fairfax County and other stakeholders came together over the past year to address rising cost estimates for Phase II. Working with our staff and project partners, Loudoun County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, we were able to bring the cost of Phase II down by $700 million. The savings were achieved in part by moving to an above ground station at the airport, a smaller rail yard, and purchasing fewer rail cars. I believe these important…
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Proposal includes cheaper above-ground airport station plan.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board reversed its course on its plans for an underground station at Dulles International Airport, voting 11-1 Wednesday to accept a proposed plan - featuring the cheaper above-ground station - from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The MWAA board voted in April for the underground station, which would be more convenient for travelers but would increase costs by about $300 million Mame Reiley, chair of MWAA's Dulles Corridor Committee, said on Wednesday she still believes the underground station was the right thing for Dulles. "Although the difference in cost between the two choices has no direct impact on the cost of the tolls, our decision has become a political football," Reiley said in …
Friday, July 8, 2011
Two Dulles Toll Road users claimed using toll revenue to pay for the Dulles Metrorail project was essentially a tax, but only elected bodies can levy taxes.
A U.S. District Court judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit that claimed the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is illegally levying a tax on users of the Dulles Toll Road to pay a share of the Dulles Metrorail project. The attorneys who represent plaintiffs John Grigsby of Hillsboro and John Corr of Great Falls said they will appeal U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Trenga's July 7 decision. The attorneys are Robert Cynkar, Christopher Kachouroff, whose office is in Lake Ridge, and Patrick McSweeney. Only elected bodies can levy taxes and the lawsuit charges that MWAA's use of tolls to pay for a portion of the Silver Line project is taxation without representation and a violation of the Constitution. The lawsuit charges that the…
Friday, July 1, 2011
Above-ground station, local governments may shrink price tag.
There were no concrete decisions in Thursday's meetings in the ongoing discussion on how to cut costs for Metrorail's Phase II of rail to Dulles. However, the idea has been proposed to transfer some of the financial burden back to the local governments. The latest estimate for Phase II of the Silver Line, which will run from Reston to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County, is $3.5 billion. More than $300 million of those costs would be for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's (MWAA) proposed underground station at the airport, which brings the and total cost estimate in about $1 billion more than expected. At this week's meeting between U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Loudoun and Fairfax County …
Bob Bruhns
12:20 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
People - wake up. This MWAA circus sideshow is happening because there is about $1.5 Billion of overcharge in the massively excessive price estimates in Phase 2 of the Dulles Rail / Silver Line project alone. And the CONTRACTS for these massively overestimated jobs are about to be approved... by MWAA! How about that. And nobody ever questions the price estimates! Example: Our Rt 28 rail station. … more ›