VIRGINIA
MWAA drops union-friendly PLA, clearing way for Dulles Metro project
Wednesday morning the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority dropped its union-friendly labor agreement for the second phase of the Dulles MetroRail Project.
Some say it was a make-or-break decision that could have stopped the project in its tracks if it had gone the other way.
Today's decision by the airport authority, makes it a near foregone conclusion that this will not be the end of the line for the Silver Line.
The project has been mired in a tug of war, despite strong support in the area.
The airport authority voted to reverse its policy that would have given preferential treatment to union contractors.
Construction on Phase One of the Metro line is just months from completion.
The State of Virginia and Loudoun County threatened to hold out $350 million in funding for Phase Two unless the airport authority dropped the policy.
Some authority board members say it was like voting with a gun to their heads.
And cost does remain a sticking point.
Loudoun County Supervisors now have less than a month to work out the financing before voting on the issue.
"The hold up is really how to pay for it," says Supervisor Matt Letourneau.
"What we're having a debate about basically is, should the whole county pay for this or should it just be the areas where the Metro stations are going to be located?" says Letourneau.
Letourneau says if the vote were today, it'd be turned down. which would fit just fine with some Loudoun County residents.
One resident tells ABC7, "I don't see the value of bringing it out to Loudoun. I think you could potentially import a crime problem and I don't think there's a need for it."
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