Wednesday, September 27, 2006; Article Link
The Sept. 18 editorial "Start Building," on Tysons Corner and Metrorail, was wrong. Before condemning this regional hub to an irreversible, 50-year mistake, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) should pause and find a better answer.
The decision to build overhead rail in Tysons has shaken citizens, elected officials and landowners alike. And for good reason: Try to imagine Arlington County with an elevated eyesore, as high as 45 feet, down the middle of Wilson Boulevard.
There are reasonable alternatives -- among them routing heavy rail around Tysons and using other ground-level methods to shuttle commuters into the business area.
Fairfax Supervisor T. Dana Kauffman (D-Lee) is right: A Tysons el train "will prove to be the wrong decision for the wrong reasons." Let's have one more round of discussion and get this right.
CHARLIE HALL, Fairfax
The writer is chairman of the Providence District Council.
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Wednesday, October 11, 2006; Article Link
The finger-pointing over the decision not to build a Metrorail tunnel through Tysons Corner seems misdirected.
How can Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) be blamed when he was informed by Republican Reps. Thomas M. Davis III and Frank R. Wolf -- masters of bringing pork to their districts -- that building the tunnel could cause the loss of federal funding, dooming the entire project?
How is it that Mr. Davis -- who as chairman of the House Government Reform Committee has asserted jurisdiction over such things as steroids in baseball -- can't prevail upon the Federal Transit Administration to allow the use of local money, with no increase in federal funding, to add a community improvement component to a project that has already been found worthy?
IRA BIRNBAUM, Annandale
As a temporary resident of the region, I have found Metro to be a marvelous transit system. I am, however, distressed at what appears to be a shortsighted decision on the proposed Metrorail extension through Tysons Corner.
At home in Camden County, N.J., an existing on-grade rail line was replaced many years ago with good light rail connecting to Philadelphia. After much wrangling, the decision was made to elevate most of the line. My home town, Haddonfield, managed to gather enough political clout to demand that the line be placed below grade, but many communities were bisected by an unattractive wall that divided many streets.
The planners of the Tysons project have a choice -- do the job right or settle for a schlock job that will blight the community for a long, long time.
JOHN T. HEIZER, Woodbridge
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