Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) issued the following statement this morning following a vote by the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority board approving an above-ground station at Dulles Airport.

“I applaud MWAA’s decision to join with the other funding partners and support the less-costly aerial station alignment at Dulles Airport.

“This action eliminates a major hurdle in our quest to cut costs to reduce the financial burden on Dulles Toll Road commuters and improve prospects to receive low-cost federal financing.  With this decision, every stakeholder in the project -- local, state, and federal -- is on the same page and we can now truly move forward to complete this critical project.

“I hope this show of good faith by MWAA encourages the other project partners, including the Commonwealth of Virginia, to make real contributions to the financing of Phase II of Rail to Dulles.  I again urge Governor McDonnell to commit $150 million to this vital project to help us relieve the financial burden on Toll Road drivers.  The Commonwealth of Virginia is the only partner that has yet to make a serious financial commitment to the completion of Phase 2.

“With Secretary Lahood’s leadership, we have identified nearly $1 billion in cuts over the last several months.  Now is the time to move forward and get this done.”