Washington, D.C. – The annual transportation spending bill approved in the House today includes additional funding for both the Dulles rail project and to widen westbound I-66 inside the Beltway, according to Rep. Frank Wolf (R10th).

The bill also directs the Federal Highway Administration to work with the National Park Service to determine the possibility of extending the third southbound lane of the George Washington Parkway from the Key Bridge to the exit for the Roosevelt Bridge. Similar language is in the FY 2007 spending bill that funds the Interior department.

Wolf said the bill provides another $5 million for the Dulles rail project, bringing the total federal share to date to more than $215 million, and $2 million for I-66. More than $32 in federal funding has been secured for the I-66 project.

The bill also provides:

* $61 million for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to purchase additional Metrorail cars. These cars will service the entire Metro system, including the extension to Dulles airport. This funding helps meet the federal government’s commitment to Metro.

* $1.5 million in planning and design funding for a new interchange on the Fairfax County Parkway at Fair Lakes Boulevard and Monument Drive.

* $900,000 to continue the expansion of the Battlefield Parkway in Leesburg, bringing to nearly $10.1 million that Wolf has secured for the project.

* $500,000 to assist in the widening of Route 50 from Route 28 in Fairfax County to Poland Road, which is just before the main entrance to South Riding.

The Senate has yet to act on its version of the FY 2007 Transportation Appropriations bill.