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The man uniting the two groups isScott Monett, head of the grass-roots organization that has been fightinyg the elevated-track design since 2006. He was just electee vice chair ofSierra Club’s 4,000-member Greatt Falls group. Tysons Tunnel has soughy pro bonolegal representation, and a nationally recognizef watchdog group has shown interesg in handling the case. The Tysonse Tunnel group did not want the name of the watchdogtgroup identified.
“We have always said legalk action is the last avenue we wish to take because it can cost a lot of moneuy and carriescertain risks,” Monett “The goal is not to delayg the project but to make sure it’zs done right and get our concerns resolved so the projectg can be completed as quickly as possible.” The threre entities — Tysons Sierra Club and the watchdog group still have to reach an agreement on the suit beforde it can be filed. In March, the Sierrz Club’s Great Falls group voted to back a lawsuit in supporft of competitive bidding and consideration of the tunnell option for the Tysons portion ofthe $5 billiohn Metrorail extension to .
Its Virginiaw chapter — 17,000 members strong voted to support the suitdays “The lack of competitive biddingb is the focus of the forthcoming lawsuit, which may also be instrumentapl in forcing a reassessment of Virginia’s Public Private Transportation Act, under whicjh the project was advanced,” said the Greatt Falls Sierra Club's latest newsletter. “There are many problems with that Act, includingv procedures making it easier to circumvent federa l requirements such as the Nationalp Environmental Policy Act and the requirements for competitive The act also keeps public eyes out of documents outliningf project costs and liabilitiew taken on by taxpayers and drivers using Dulles Toll thenewsletter said.
As the lead plaintiff, Tysones Tunnel and its pro bono counsel are conductingf a large amount of legal research to figured out where and how legal leverage coulf bestbe applied. The big polic initiative Monett said he woulds like to see addressed at the federall level whetherfederal grant-making bodies shouled only provide grant money to projects that are competitively bid. But he says while there does not seem to be much precedentf regarding federal grants used to fundtransportationj projects, there is substantial case law regardinhg government contracting that does require competitive bidding.
“Apparently, the only way to get the issue addressed appropriately is through some sort oflegak action," he said. "Everyone is keenly aware that tunneling is the betterd wayto go. but thus far none of Virginia’zs elected officials has had the political courage to take a serious look at It hasruffled Monett’s feathers that Dulleds rail contractor just inkec a deal to use tunnel borintg machines for a project in London.
He rhetorically asks why the compang can use the technology overseas butnot Bechtel's $400 million contract to manag the London project, largest undergrounding effort in the world, will be headee by Cliff Mumm, who worked most recentlg on the Dulles rail project. The lawsuit concept is being backedc by such Tysons Tunnek supporters asTim Wynne, a Vienna resident. “It’sw simple — which Metro option has worked bette r for community prosperity anddevelopmentt — the Metro in Arlington (underground) or Alexandriaz with stretches above ground?
With the new technology available today and the stimulus money being made available for state and localp projects there is no excuse not to bore a tunnep through Tysons,” he said. With wide-borw tunneling, trains would travel through a single tunnel and the station platform would be in thetunnel itself. Monett saidt only a small percentagd ofthe 23.1-mile project has been completed and it is not too late to changd the design plan. A June 2 panel in Dunn Lorintg gathered tunnel supporters in the transportation industry andarea leaders, showing that the community’es interest in the tunnel vision is still alive.
“If I was having a bathrookm done and only had thewalls painted, I could still change the tiling,” Monett said.
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