‘This is absolutely the last payment’: Fairfax Co. officials say Silver Line project can’t afford more delays

On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority received the green light to add $250 million for phase two of the Silver Line project.

While the Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors understands the complexities involved in the project, he said Thursday that people are frustrated with the long wait.

“The delays that we have had to date have not been, in my opinion, been justified. So any further delays will be met with a lot of discontent,” Chairman Jeff McKay told WTOP.



McKay is hopeful that officials will meet the fall opening plan for six new stations in Virginia, including at Dulles International Airport.

“I want to make certain, this is absolutely the last payment related to the capital improvement of this project,” McKay said. “People have waited far too long for this.”

Lynn Bowersox, Senior Vice President of the Silver Line Startup and Delivery, told WTOP that the project will mean new jobs and they’ve already started training new station managers.

“In all, it’s several hundred jobs,” she said. “What we’re really focused on, here at Metro, is operational preparations.”

WMATA has its next regularly-scheduled meeting next Thursday.

“It will, for the first time … include our new incoming general manager Randy Clarke,” Bowersox said. “I think he will be talking about his priorities moving forward.”

Anna-Lysa Gayle

Anna-Lysa Gayle is an award-winning reporter and anchor, with five Emmy awards and more. Before joining WTOP, she spent nearly a decade as a TV news reporter for ABC and CBS news affiliates.

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