Fairfax County Looking For Revitalization

Some advocates for revitalization along Richmond Highway in Fairfax County are calling for drastic measures. And some county leaders will soon be faced with a choice - above-ground light rail or underground Metro.

Advocates for underground Metro on the Silver Line seemed to have lost the day -- for now. But a new debate is about to emerge in another part of the county along Route One. Some elected officials are pushing for a series of underground stations along the corridor as a way to transform the region from a sleepy suburban enclave into a thriving urban core. Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay says it's unrealistic.

"If the cost was prohibitive to do it in Tysons Corner, I can't imagine a scenario under which it's not prohibitive on Route One," says McKay.

But Del. Scott Surovell campaigned on the issue two years ago. He says the time has come to start making serious investments in this part of the county.

"The only jobs in the Route One corridor are pushing buttons on a cash register or carrying a tray at a restaurant," Surovell says. "And there's no reason that people in my part of Fairfax County shouldn't enjoy the same quality of life that everybody else in Northern Virginia has."

The cost could be as much as $9 billion dollars, but Surovell says the federal government might be able to help kick in for extending the Yellow Line because it would connect the system to Fort Belvoir.

The theoretical extension would include Metro stops in King's Crossing, Beacon Hill, Hybla Valley, Gum Springs, Sacramento, Woodlawn and Fort Belvoir.