Thursday, May 16, 2013
With the contractor selected, the first of several “milestones” begins for the Metro line creeping toward Ashburn.
The notion of riding Metro from a station in Ashburn to Reston Town Center, Tysons Corner or Washington, DC, moved another small step toward reality Wednesday when the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors cemented its selection of Capital Rail Constructors to build Phase 2 of the Silver Line. “This is the first of many milestones to come for the second phase of the Silver Line,” said Jack Potter, President and CEO. Phase 1 of the 23-mile extension runs from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue and could begin carrying passengers by the end of the year. Passengers will be able to stay on Silver Line trains East of Falls Church because they will share the Orange Line track. While the contract award for Phase 2 marks …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
A group that includes Clarke Construction, Kiewit Infrastructure, Parsons and Dewberry will build Phase 2.
After previous announcing plans intent to pick Capital Rail Constructors as the contractor for the second phase of Metro’s Silver Line project, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority made it official Wednesday. The CRC group – which includes Clarke Construction Group, Kiewit Infrastructure South Co., Parsons Transportation and Dewberry – will extend the line from the first phase’s last station at Wiehle Avenue in Reston to Dulles International Airport and Ashburn. “This is the first of many milestones to come for the second phase of the Silver Line,” said Jack Potter, President and CEO. “The Phase 2 contract, awarded through a competitive bid process, and with the coordination and collaboration of our project partners, is moving …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
After previously expressing optimism for 2013 start, that might not be an option.
At the end of February, representatives from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) said they thought passengers would be riding on the brand new Silver Line by the end of 2013, but that already appears to have changed. Officials previously told Patch there are really two important dates coming up for the project's first phase: completion of construction and the day passengers begin riding. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), the agency tasked with building Metro’s 23-mile Silver Line from East Falls Church to Ashburn, expects to complete construction around the end of the summer and turn the line over to WMATA. Safety inspections are likely to be done by the end of the year, according to a WMATA rep…
Friday, January 25, 2013
The primary obstacle for the transportation system appears to be funding.
Less than a year after the Loudoun Board of Supervisors signed on to a Metrorail project that would bring the new Silver Line to two stations in Ashburn, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has a proposed a series of list if improvements to help the system keep up with demand estimated to cost $26 billion. The Washington Post has a story here. The main snag in the way of the plan, which WMATA board members praised, appears to be where to obtain funding for the project. In Loudoun, opponents of the county’s participation in the Silver Line project often pointed to the unknown cost of capital needs for Metro, and Loudoun’s responsibility for those costs. During the county’s debate about whether to participate, WMATA …
Friday, November 2, 2012
In statement, regional panel welcomes report, while letter to LaHood criticizes interference.
A long-awaited report about the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s Inspector General calls for actions beyond what the regional panel has already undertaken. MWAA, responsible for constructing Metro’ Silver Line project from Falls Church to Ashburn, came under fire for lax oversight of its members. The IG report also raises questions about whether the organization’s policies permit favoritism in awarding contracts and nepotism in awarding jobs. For the full report, see the PDF attached to this article. After an interim report from the IG, MWAA approved a new travel policy and code of ethics, revised bylaws for board members and its Freedom of Information Policy and terminated contracts with…
Friday, July 27, 2012
At least five groups have surfaced so far with plans to bid on Metro’s project to extend rail to Dulles and Ashburn.
CORRECTION: Five groups have already begun assembling teams to propose bids, not four as initially reported. All five teams are listed at the bottom of the story. Initial story: Hundreds of people representing contractors and subcontractors hoping to be part of the winning bid to construct the second phase of the Metro’s Silver Line to Dulles Airport and Ashburn attended a conference Thursday to learn more about the process and meet construction teams planning to bid on the project. At least five groups have already begun assembling teams to bid on the $1.4 billiion to $1.5 billion “Package A” of the construction project, which includes everything except the rail yard and the five parking garages that may never go to bid. If all goes as …
Monday, July 16, 2012
Despite critics, businesses and landowners appear either enthusiastic or silent as proposal for new assessment heads for hearing.
Now that Loudoun has opted in to Metro’s Silver Line, work will begin on creating the tax district the Board of Supervisors hope will pay for it. Just before the all-Republican board’s divided vote to opt in, supervisors directed staff to begin the process of establishing the ordinances needed to create the tax district, with a public hearing prior to Nov. 1 and an implementation date of Jan. 1, 2013. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the entity tasked with building both phases of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, announced last week that it has issued Requests for Qualifications from potential contractors, marking the first move forward on the estimated $2.7 billion second phase project since Loudoun’s July 3 vote. By …
Saturday, July 14, 2012
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority says the project is moving into the next phase.
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Saturday, July 14, 2012
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has begun the process of selecting a design-build contractor for Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. Beginning Phase 2 is an important milestone for the project to extend to the Dulles Airport and into Loudoun County, MWAA announced on Friday. MWAA has issued a Request for Qualifications Information in order to solicit information from potential bidders for the 11.5-mile project that will extend from Wiehle Avenue in Reston west to Dulles Airport, ending at Route 772 in eastern Loudoun County. The RFQI has been posted on the Airports Authority website and can be found here. “We are grateful to our project partners in the Federal Government, Virginia, Fairfax and Loudoun …
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
A divided board sends the Silver Line project forward.
During dozens of conversations leading up to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors decision to participate in the proposed Metro project to Dulles Airport and beyond, no one knew how the votes would fall. Would it be 5-4, 6-3? People in the audience, county staff members and even supervisors waged small bets on the final vote, and those who picked 5-4 won the day. Heading in to the vote, there were two supervisors considered potential swing votes: Ken Reid (R-Leesburg) and Suzanne Volpe (R-Algonkian). Speaking with a wide range of “insiders” during the past two months, odds appeared to be on Volpe to support it, with Reid possibly joining the majority. But that would have been the wrong bet. Reid, who had a history of opposing the rail project…
After contentious four months, a divided board stays with the project.
With more eyes on Loudoun County than likely have ever been on it, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 on Tuesday to continue participating with the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, which will extend the now-under-construction Silver Line from Wiehle Avenue in Reston to Route 772 in Ashburn. “Well the day has finally come for this board to make the decision about the future of Loudoun County,” County Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large) said as the vote approached. “This will help our employers reach our employees regionally.” York and Supervisors Ken Reid (R-Leesburg), Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn), Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) and Shawn Williams (R-Broad Run) voted in supported, while Supervisors Suzanne Volpe (R-Algonkian), Geary …
Bob Bruhns
8:09 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Great! Maybe MWAA, Fairfax County and Loudoun County can make good financing arrangements for this phase of the rail construction now. We won't know, until MONTHS after the ground is broken. Amazingly, this project was allowed to proceed while the financing was uncertain. What are we teaching our children here? "Yes kids, this is the right and proper way to build public infrastructure. First, … more ›