The Fairfax (Va.) County Board of Supervisors approved June 18 funding for the first $2.4-billion to $2.7-billion phase of a planned 22-mile rail connection between Tysons Corner and Dulles International Airport. Despite misgivings about the impact of the initial 11.6-mile phase—which will include elevated sections but not a tunnel—the county did not want to jeopardize $900 million in eligible federal funding. Adding a half-mile tunnel segment would have added $250 million and required more time for an environmental review.

The Virginia Dept. of Rail and Public Transportation is now awaiting completion of a risk assessment by the Federal Transit Administration, which could happen by the end of August. If the risk assessment determines that the project is still eligible for the $900-million grant, design-build consortium Dulles Transit Partners, LLC, led by Bechtel Corp. and Washington Group, will begin a $2.6-million utility relocation along 1.5 miles of Route 7, which will be expanded as part of the overall $4-billion project, says VDRPTA spokesperson Marcia McAllister.