An Above-Ground 'Big Dig' for Tysons Corner?
UNLESS A BIG POT OF CASH lands at the feet of local, state and federal officials planning to build the Dulles Metrorail extension, trains will be sailing above Tysons Corner on an elevated rail line instead of through a tunnel. But might we be hearing the words "Big Dig" as the construction phase nears?
The term, of course, comes form the massively complex, over-budget and problem-plagued highway project that clogged traffic in Boston for years. As The Post's Marc Fisher reminded readers in his Sunday column, the Dulles rail construction consortium is being led by the Bechtel Corp., which got slammed in investigations for its management of the Big Dig. Writes Fisher:
Bechtel executives dispute the state and newspaper reports and defend the quality of their work, but the question stands: Why would Virginia turn to this company to handle Dulles rail, and what guarantees are there for taxpayers and drivers on the Dulles Toll Road — the two groups who will pay the biggest chunk of the bill — that costs won't soar as they did in Boston?Bechtel was among many groups involved in Iraq reconstruction but it pulled out last November after 52 of its employees were killed, the security situation deteriorated and its work was sabotaged by the growing insurgency. Fortunately, Fairfax County is a considerably calmer place to do business.
» "A Good Chance to Be Taken for a Ride" [WaPo]
» "Bechtel Pulling Out After 3 Rough Years of Rebuilding Work" [SF Chron]
Courtesy Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
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