MWAA Chooses a Frontrunner for Phase 2 of Silver Line

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) on Thursday issued a Notice of Recommended Award to Capital Rail Constructors for the major design-build portion of the Silver Line Phase 2 rail to Dulles.

Capital Rail Constructors is comprised of Clark Construction Group and Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. The recommendation recognizes CRC as the low-price proposer for the contract, but does not constitute a final award of the contract, MWAA said in a statement.

The announcement follows an MWAA review of Capital Rail Constructors’ $1,177,777,000 proposal, which was determined to meet all necessary requirements, MWAA said.

Capital Rail Constructors’ price proposal was the lowest of the five read by the Airports Authority at a public opening last Friday.

“We are very encouraged by the price submitted by Capital Rail Constructors and the potential savings it includes,” Pat Nowakowski, executive director of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, said in a statement.

“This has been a very successful competitive procurement process. The winning proposal is well below our original estimates of $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion for this portion of the project, which hopefully will allow us to pass on additional savings to users of the Dulles Toll Road.”

The Notice of Recommended Award is the one step in the procurement process that began in July of 2012. The Airports Authority will now request additional documentation from the team, including insurance certificates, and payment and performance bonds. A final award of the contract is expected in May.

Other bid finalists were:

Bechtel Transit Partners
Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation. $1,191,000.00

Dulles APC Railbuilders
Archer Western Contractors, LLC
PCL Civil Constructors, Inc.
Corman Construction,  $1,285,000,000.00

Dulles Metrorail Connectors

Skanska USA Civil Southeast / Granite Construction Company

G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. / Trumbull Corporation

Facchina Construction Company, Inc.$1,325,470,000.00

Silver Line Constructors

Fluor Enterprises, Inc. / Tutor Perini Corporation / Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. $1,378,646,479.00

This contract is the largest of three total design-build packages for Phase 2 and represents approximately 50 percent of Phase 2 work, MWAA said. Phase 2 will run from Reston's Wiehle Avenue to Ashburn with stops at Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center, Washington Dulles International Airport, Route 606 and Route 772/Ashburn.

The contract does not include the rail yard, garages or professional services.

Construction of Phase 2 is anticipated to be completed in 2018, MWAA says. 

Earlier this week, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said that lower bids will result in slower rising of Dulles Toll Road rates. Phase 2, which is not receiving federal funds, is depending on state, local, and toll road money to pay its $2.7 billion cost.

Read all Silver Line stories on our Silver Line topic page.

What do you think of the progress on this project? What about the bids? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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