Speak Out: Metro’s $26 Billion Improvement Plan

If you thought the Silver Line would continue to be the focus of  the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for the foreseeable future, think again.

Metro has a proposed a series of improvements to help the system keep up with demand on other lines. 

For the past year and a half, the agency has been working to unveil "Momentum," a $26 billion spending plan that focuses on, among other things, creating new connections and bypassing others that are holding riders up.

The Washington Post has a story here.

For Orange Line riders, the Post details one proposed project that could make a huge difference for those on Vienna-bound trains:

Planners suggest creating what they call the “Rosslyn bypass.” New tracks would be built west of Rosslyn and near the Pentagon, allowing trains on the Orange Line to go south into Virginia on the Blue Line and east over the Yellow Line bridge

The main snag in the way of the plan, which WMATA board members praised, appears to be where to obtain funding for the project.

In Fairfax and Loudoun, opponents of those counties' participation in the Silver Line project often pointed to the unknown cost of capital needs for Metro, and responsibility for those costs. During the county’s debate about whether to participate, WMATA representatives said they perpetually have a plan that calls for far more investment than is possible by the participating municipalities.

What do you think about WMATA’s proposed capital plans? Tell us in the comments.