Metro News Release

For immediate release: February 17, 2005

Public hearing set for a joint-use bus garage in Fairfax County

A public hearing will be held by the Metro on Wednesday, March 30, to receive and consider comments, suggestions and alternatives from the public on the proposed West Ox Bus Garage use agreement in Fairfax County, VA. The hearing will be located at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035. It will begin with an open house at 6 p.m., followed by the hearing at 7 p.m. to discuss the establishment of a Metro use agreement for the Fairfax County approved bus garage at West Ox Road.

There is insufficient maintenance and storage capacity among the northern Virginia Metrobus facilities. In response, the Metro Matters Funding Agreement included $48.9 million for a new bus maintenance facility to add bus capacity in Virginia. Although Metro staff has examined several Virginia sites for the new facility, none of the sites have been adequate. In 2004, Fairfax County approved the construction of a bus operations facility as part of a planned public use development on West Ox Road in Fairfax County, VA. The bus operations facility would include a maintenance and administration building, a fuel and wash bay building and other buildings to accommodate up to 300 buses.

Metro proposes to enter into an agreement with Fairfax County for use of a portion of the bus garage that the county will construct. Although the approved county facility would allow an ultimate capacity of 300 buses, the county’s initial construction is for 150 buses. The county envisions that the initial bus capacity be split equally with Metro.

The proposed Metro use agreement at the Fairfax County West Ox Bus Garage would permit both new buses for service expansion and the stationing of buses from existing Virginia Metrobus facilities. Metro buses at the West Ox Bus Garage would generally serve central and western Fairfax County. Fairfax County plans to complete facility design by the fall of 2005 and to complete construction by the end of 2007. If approved, Metro could occupy a part of the county facility after that time.

Following the public hearing, Metro will review the testimony received for the record and prepare a report. This report will be circulated for 10 days to allow public review and comment. At the completion of the public review and comment period, the Metro Board will consider the public hearing record, the report and public comments and will act on the proposed bus garage use agreement.

Copies of the technical reports, prepared by the county as part of its approval process, and the proposed general plans are available for review at the Metro Office of Engineering and Architecture, c/o Jim Ashe, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 (202-962-1745) and at the Fairfax City Regional Library, 3915 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 (703-293-6227). These two documents may be inspected during normal business hours starting Friday, February 18.

Comments will also be accepted verbally and in writing at the public hearing or via e-mail. All organizations or individuals desired to be heard with respect to the technical reports and proposed general plans of the West Ox Bus Garage will be afforded the opportunity to present their views and make supporting statements and/or to offer alternative proposals. To establish a witness list, individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to be heard at the public hearing are requested to furnish in writing their name, address, telephone number and organization affiliation, if any, to Harold Bartlett. Please submit only one speaker’s name per letter and refer to Hearing No. 168, Docket R05-1. Others present at the hearing may be heard after those persons on the witness list have been called and heard. At the public hearing, public officials will be heard first; others who registered in advance will be heard next in order of registration; and those who do not register in advance will be heard and be allowed three minutes each.

A verbatim transcript will be made of the hearing and a copy of the transcript may be purchased from the Miller Reporting Company (202-546-6666). Written comments or electronic statements will be accepted until 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 13, and should be sent to Harold Bartlett, Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, Washington, D.C. 20001 or public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com.

News release issued on February 17, 2005.