Silver Line Expansion Hits a Speed Bump

"Nicoson said officials could insert incentives and penalties to get contractors to meet earlier deadlines, thereby getting the project finished before 2016, as the airports authority has done with other rail contracts.

The second part of the Silver Line will be funded through proceeds from the Dulles Toll Road and tax revenue from Fairfax and Loudoun counties. No matching federal funding is expected.

The next step for the project is preliminary engineering, which will take about 18 months and end in early to mid-2011, Bennett said.

He also said that a final decision on the location of the Route 606 rail stop, which is being discussed by Loudoun officials, needs to be made by the end of summer 2010."