More Delays Make June 30 Opening Of Silver Line Extension Seem Unlikely: Metro

WASHINGTON, DC — Three lawmakers from Northern Virginia sent a letter to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority expressing their concerns over more delays that are keeping Phase 2 of the Silver Line extension from opening.

U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton (D), Don Beyer (D) and Gerry Connolly's letter to WMAA came a day after Paul Wiedefeld, the CEO and general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, said unresolved issues on WMMA's punch list are preventing a declaration of operational readiness, which was expected to happen at the end of March.

“We understand that several punch list items remain for both the rail line and rail yard projects that must be resolved before operational readiness can be declared," the lawmakers wrote, in their letter to WMAA. "Many of these items have been known about for months, and we therefore urge you to work diligently to address them in a timely manner and to ensure that there is accountability for any unnecessary delays. To that end, we request that you share with us what expectations for timely resolution of these items you have conveyed to your contractors and how those expectations are being enforced.”

When Wiedefeld appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform earlier in the year, he told lawmakers that his goal was to open Phase 2 for revenue service before the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, which is also Wiedefeld's last day on the job. But, WMAA's unresolved issues are pushing the opening of the extension past that date.

The lawmakers' letter to WMAA President and CEO John Potter and William Sudow, chairman of the WMAA Board of Directors, asked when they expected the work to be completed and how they were enforcing those expectations.

"Phase 2 of the Silver Line presents a major opportunity for the continued growth and development of our region, and we look forward to the swift completion of a system that is safe, reliable, and built to last," the letter said.