Feds to give approval of Metrorail extension in Va.

Associated Press
Published: April 30, 2008

McLEAN, Va. (AP) _ Congressional staff members say the federal government will give its approval to a planned Metrorail extension in northern Virginia.

The $900 million in federal funding is a critical component of a $5 billion plan to extend the Metrorail system through Tysons Corner and on to Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County.

The federal government’s decision to back the project was first reported by The Washington Post, and confirmed to The Associated Press by two congressional staff members who requested anonymity because they did not want speak in advance of the official announcement.

The project was thrown into turmoil in January when he Federal Transit Administration unexpectedly announced that the project did not meet federal cost-efficiency standards. Virginia has been scrambling for months to bring the project into compliance.