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  • Core sample drilling begins at Tysons Corner

  • Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.
Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.

Moderators: mtuandrew, therock, Robert Paniagua

 #225945  by Sand Box John
 
http://www.dullesmetro.com/news/drilling.cfm

The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project has begun a series of drillings in the Tysons Corner area to explore the condition of soil in future construction areas, including identifying any ground contaminants that might be present.

The drilling machine bores into the ground at predetermined locations along the planned Metrorail route. The Project team collects soil samples at regular depth intervals and sends the samples away to a laboratory for analysis.

This soil sampling is a critical part of preparing for construction, currently scheduled to begin in December 2006.

 #259039  by Semaphore Sam
 
As long as drilling kit is available, they should drill into the brains of those politicians who stopped the planned Dulles link 40 years ago. 35 years of air pollution, inconvenience, lost revenue for the District and passengers, traffic jams on highways clogged with traffic easily, and effortlessly, able to be carried by rail. The right-of-way was built into the highway link, and unused all these years! What did these planning idiots have in mind...mass punishment for users of Dulles? Is the 35-year sentence about to end? Sam

 #259060  by Sand Box John
 
"Semaphore Sam"
As long as drilling kit is available, they should drill into the brains of those politicians who stopped the planned Dulles link 40 years ago.


Excuse me, but there were no “plans” started 40 years ago. All of the procedures, public hearing, transit studies, environmental impact studies, environmental impact statements and other related activities that resulted in the then 97 mile Adopted Area Regional System did not include a Dulles route. The planers were think of the future when they drew the map. The Federal Aviation Administration purposely procured an easement wide enough to allow for a future local highway to be built parallel to the Dulles Access Road and a median wide enough for a future rail line before the WMATA evolved from NCTA (National Capitol Transit Agency). WMATA even built a junction provision on the K Route Orange line east of the West Falls Church station for the future N route Dulles.

Here is the WMATA environmental impact statement (112 MB) from 09 1975.

 #259112  by Semaphore Sam
 
Hi, SBJohn:
Now my confusion increases...First, you say 'there were no "plans" started 40 years ago." Then you say 'planners were to think of the future when they drew the map.' Hmmm. Usually plans involve...THE FUTURE (to plan the past seems silly). Then you say the FAA included enough space for a rail ROW to Dulles in the median of the highway, also including the junction at West Falls Church. Sounds suspiciously like 'plans' to me. Then, the highway was built, but the rail line wasn't. Planned or not, the non-building of a rail link was a huge, costly mistake. Sorry for my ignorance. Sam

 #259179  by Sand Box John
 
"Semaphore Sam"
Hi, SBJohn:
Now my confusion increases...First, you say 'there were no "plans" started 40 years ago." Then you say 'planners were to think of the future when they drew the map.' Hmmm. Usually plans involve...THE FUTURE (to plan the past seems silly). Then you say the FAA included enough space for a rail ROW to Dulles in the median of the highway, also including the junction at West Falls Church. Sounds suspiciously like 'plans' to me. Then, the highway was built, but the rail line wasn't. Planned or not, the non-building of a rail link was a huge, costly mistake. Sorry for my ignorance.


The definition of plan you use is different then the plan that was actually adopted and built. In the case of WMATA metrorail the plan involved only the capitol funding, construction and operation of the Adopted ARS (Area Regional System) by the members of the WMATA Compact. Part of that plan had provisions to allow for the expansion of the base 97 mile ARS in the future. The base 97 mile ARS has been changed and lengthened several times over the last 35 years to the 106 mile ARS that exists today.