MWAA Green-lights Metro Silver Line Phase 2 Work

By Dusty Smith

After years of decisions about whether to bring transit to Dulles Airport and who would pay, construction is poised to begin on the second phase of the $5.8 billion Metro Silver Line, which will run from Reston to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority issued a notice to proceed Tuesday to Capital Rail Constructors (CRC), putting the second half of the rail project in motion. The Silver Line project is being built by MWAA through a partnership of Loudoun and Fairfax counties, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Work on the first phase of the Silver Line – from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue in Reston – is on track for completion later this year, with the first riders expected to board in early 2014. There’s a small chance the line will open to the public by December. Current estimates for each phase come to $2.9 billion for nearly $6 billion total.

With the second phase now authorized to move forward, MWAA anticipates a construction completion period of 60 months, targeting completion in July 2018, not counting unforeseen delays, which can include weather. 

Surveying will begin soon, with heavy equipment instruction expected to begin in spring 2014.

As with the first phase, once the contractor – Capital Rail Constructors (CRC), a joint venture of Clark Construction Group and Kiewit Infrastructure South – completes its work, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will conduct tests before opening the new station to the public.

"I’m looking forward to working in partnership with our construction team and having a groundbreaking to celebrate," said Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. 

The contract is the largest of several to be issued for Phase 2. CRC’s $1.18 billion bid came in lower than the $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion MWAA estimated for that part of the work.

"With all the ups and downs of the Silver Line project, we are within budget and on time both with Phase I and Phase II, and I think that speaks well for the management of the project," Bulova said.

The authorized work for Phase II includes six stations in Fairfax and Loudoun counties for a total of 11.4 miles of track and guideways and wayside components. The stations include Dulles International Airport, Route 606 and Route 772 (Moorefield Station/Loudoun Station) in Loudoun; and Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center near Route 28 in Fairfax. 

“Ten years ago rail to Dulles and beyond was still just a hopeful idea,” said MWAA Chairman Michael Curto in a statement. “Today it is on its way to becoming a reality as we formally initiate Phase 2 of rail to Dulles. There is still much work to be done on both Phase 1 and Phase 2, but this Notice to Proceed represents an important milestone toward increased transportation connectivity for the region.”

Construction of Phase 2 is expected to have positive impacts on the local economy, according to MWAA, similar to Phase 1, which generated as many as 1,800 construction jobs during peak periods. In addition, 60 percent of all procurements for Phase 1 were with subcontractors based in the Washington, DC, region.