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VIENNA, Va. - With Metro already expanding out toward Dulles International Airport
(web | news) , one Northern Virginia lawmakers wants Metro to reach Centreville and Woodbridge.
Representative Gerry Connolly (D-Fairfax) introduced legislation to get tens of millions of dollars to study extending Metrorail. He believes now is the right time to get the hundreds of millions it will take to construct the extensions.
"The current Metro system gets 600,000 cars off the road everyday," Connolly said. "If we do what I want to do, we will {subtract} hundreds of thousands more cars, saving the environment."
Part of the plan calls for extending the Orange Line from Vienna all the way to Centreville. It would also run the Blue Line all the way to Woodbridge and possibly Potomac Mills.
"I think it would be great because we live all the way out there and we have to come here to Vienna to catch the rail," said Metro commuter Robin Roy.
Ted Leemann says extending the Orange Line would save a lot of time for him and other commuters. Five days a week he makes the arduous trip from Centreville to the Vienna Metro Station. Leemann says he currently has to "fight for a parking spot, fight traffic and then a fight to get in -- it's too difficult. It's going to kill the suburbs."
But not everyone is sold. Some commuters dread more construction. While others question spending the hundreds of millions it would take to extend the Blue and Orange Lines.
"I think the money can be spent better in other places," said Metro commuter Alyssa Jones." This is already very accessible. It would be too much money and chaos in an area where there obviously already is a lot of chaos."
Connolly's proposal isn't exclusively focused on Virginia. He also wants to put some of the money he is seeking into the proposed Purple Line in suburban Maryland.
On the Web:
Read the Bill: HR 1635
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