Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

DC’s Silver Line: A Transit Expansion 34 Years in the Making

Image via Greater Greater Washington
Image via Greater Greater Washington. Click to enlarge
false

When a politician like Maryland Governor Larry Hogan kills off a transit project, not only does he rob citizens of anticipated improvements, he could be wiping out decades of intricate planning.

Dan Malouff at Greater Greater Washington notes that by 2019 it will have taken 34 years to complete the Metro’s Silver Line, which will connect DC and suburban counties with Dulles Airport.

Malouff explains the above graphic:

The timeline begins in 1985, when the idea of a Metro line to Dulles Airport went from vague concept to serious planning initiative following a study that determined it would be feasible.

Planning (yellow on the timeline) and environmental work (green) took the next 21 years, until 2006. It took another 3 years for officials to finalize funding (blue) before construction (purple) could begin in 2009.

Plopping a rail line down the middle of a gargantuan suburban highway with a capacious median is easy compared to putting one virtually anywhere else. Almost any other potential Metrorail expansion imaginable will be harder to plan, fund, and build.

"That doesn't mean it's not worth doing," Malouff writes. "But it's definitely going to be hard."

Elsewhere on the Network today: Streets.mn tests whether motorists are yielding to pedestrians; and Biking Toronto reports that there is fresh green paint, but no physical separation, on a much-needed bike lane.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hit-And-Run Rogue Driver Caught After Seriously Injuring Cycling Senior in Heart of the City

A reckless driver struck a cyclist on Second Avenue then fled. He was later caught, but the victim suffered life-changing injuries.

July 30, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Bedford Avenue Alert Edition

Come one come all to witness Eric Adams’s perfidy firsthand. Plus other news.

July 30, 2025

Trump’s ‘Beautiful’ Bill Kills Lovely QueensWay Park (Plus Many Efforts to Erase ‘Racist’ Highways)

Here's another reason for Mayor Adams to have buyer's remorse over his bromance with President Trump.

July 29, 2025
See all posts