Five Bid for Silver Line Phase 2 Contract

Contractors estimate costs of $1.1 to more than $1.3 billion.

Five contractors - including Reston-based Bechtel - have entered bids to construct Phase 2 of Metro's Silver Line, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced Friday.  The bids ranged from $1.1 to $1.3 billion. Phase 2 is the 11.4-mile segment of the Silver Line that will run from Reston's Wiehle Avenue to Dulles International Airport and into Ashburn, Phase 1 of the Silver Line, from Tysons Corner  to Wiehle Avenue, is nearly completed and scheduled to open in December. MWAA said Friday the award of the Phase 2 contract will occur after a review to validate that each proposal properly responds to the solicitation.  “Today is a significant step toward the selection of the design-build contractor for Phase 2,” Pat Nowakowski, …

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Phase 1 of Rail to Dulles Hitting the Homestretch

Construction on Phase 2 of the Silver Line could start between Dec. 2013 and summer 2014.

The first phase of the Silver Line is 89 percent complete and is on schedule to be taking Metro passengers to Reston in December 2013, officials confirmed this week. Mark Canale, Dulles Rail Project Manager for the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, said construction on the first phase is on track. During a Tuesday meeting of Fairfax County’s commission for the Phase 1 Transportation Improvement District, Canale said 98 percent of tracks for the extension from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue have been laid down. Some track work remains, as well as construction on garages and stations, but Canale said service in December was looking very likely. The West Falls Church rail yard is expected to be complete around the same time the…

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Silver Line May Cost More Than Expected

Turnaround on Maryland end could cost Metro an additional $4.5 million year.

Metro's Inauguration SmarTrip Cards Available

Sign up now to get your special commemorative Inauguration Day fare card.

Metro has begun accepting orders for commemorative SmarTrip cards for the January inauguration of President Barack Obama. "Inauguration Day, January 21, 2013" and President Obama's picture, along with "America Makes History Again" adorn the cards, which are $15. That's only $1 more than a one-day paper pass, according to a news release from the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority. The cards come pre-loaded with a one-day pass that provides unlimited Metrorail travel on the first day it is used. It can also be used as a "flash pass" for unlimited Metrobus transportation on Inauguration Day, the news release states. Cards are expected to ship in mid-December. Metro has launched an inauguration webpage where customers can sign up …

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MWAA OKs More Toll Hikes for 2013, '14

Revenue necessary if Silver Line Phase 2 is going to be built, Airports Authority says.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board voted Wednesday to raise fees on the Dulles Toll Road through 2014, but held off on raising rates for 2015. As expected, starting Jan. 1, 2013, drivers will pay 25 cents more at the main toll plaza and at on/off ramps for a total of $2.75. In 2014, the rates will rise to $3.50. But the board put off approving an increase for 2015, in hopes of securing alternative sources of funding.  In deciding not to set 2015 toll rates, the board noted that the potential for low cost financing afforded by a TIFIA loan, combined with the potential for additional financial assistance from the Commonwealth and possibly other sources, along with the potential for a competitively priced Phase 2 Silver Line…

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Photo: Night Vision at Wiehle Station

Silver Line Phase 1 is 82 percent complete.

Workers installed a section of the pedestrian bridge at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station late Friday night. Metro's Silver Line Phase 1 is now 82 percent complete, officials say.  

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Metro Says It Has $28M Surplus

WMATA credits aggressive cost cutting for savings.

Cost-containing measures have left Metro with a $28 million operating surplus for the fiscal year that ended June 30, the organization announced Monday. Fiscal controls included a successful health care audit and fuel hedging, which locked in a favorable rate for fuel that saved the authority money, it says. The fiscal year ended one day before Metro raised fares for riders and increased taxpayer subsidies to meet a projected shortfall in the budget. “I am pleased to report that we ended the year with a surplus and we continue to identify cost savings opportunities to ensure we are operating efficiently,”  Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles sais in a statement. “We anticipate applying the surplus to offset budget challenges we …

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Martire Ouster Has Cost MWAA $75,000

Board member says governor is wrong for trying to cut him from 13-member board.

It has cost the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority $75,000 to cover legal fees of a former board member who is fighting his ouster, The Washington Post reports. Dennis Martire, a Democratic appointee to the 13-member board, says his removal from the group that is charged with constructing Metrorail's Silver Line is politically motivated. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has argued that Martire damaged his credibility with questionable expenses, including spending nearly $9,200 to travel business class to Europe. Martire, an official with the Laborers’ International Union of North America, was appointed to the board by the previous governor, Tim Kaine (D). Martire has clashed with McDonnell over several issues, including a labor-…

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the-stix

7:35 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012

Tammi.. I look forward to your linking PW County parking facility information. We can then judge whether the the costs are indeed comparable as you suggest. I also look forward to Mr. Nowakowski's response to Mr. Bruhns' (a determined opponent of Dullesrail) claim that that the current Phase 2 cost estimate is 2 times what it should be.. and that the Phase 1 actual cost is coming out 2 times what…   more ›

'Rush Plus' Begins This Week on Metro

'Rush Plus' expands service during rush hour

Metro rolled out its new rush hour program, "Rush Plus," on Monday during rush hour on the Green, Yellow, Blue and Orange lines. For those who use the Blue and Orange Lines, the changes will mean more frequent trains for Orange Line riders and longer waits for Blue Line customers. Rush Plus "is designed to ease crowding, improve the commuting experience for Metrorail riders on the Orange, Blue, Green and Yellow lines, and prepare for the future Silver Line," according to the metro press release about the changes. Expanded service will result in 18 new Orange Line trains during rush hour. The increased service will impact 21 stations, to include Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn. Though the same number of trains will travel through Foggy Bottom and …

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Sunset Hills Lane Closure For Rail This Week

Watch for issues starting Monday.

Sunset Hills Road will be affected by Metrorail construction this week. Tuesday through Thursday, two transformers and a train control room will be delivered on large flatbed trucks to a Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project traction power substation facility along Sunset Hills Road, between Business Center Drive and Hunter Mill Road. The crane that will lift the components into place will be delivered into the site on Monday, June 18, and is scheduled to depart on or before Friday, June 22.    The right lane of eastbound Sunset Hills Road, will be closed approximately 500 feet to the east and west of the entrance to the site from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to accommodate the crane and component deliveries.  Police and flaggers will be onsite for …

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Uncle Smartypants

11:41 am on Monday, June 18, 2012

Yes. The article probably meant to say "The eastbound lane of Sunset Hills between Hunter Mill and Business Center will be closed". I've seen the site prep work from the toll road - I think it is right across from the Edlin School next to that road maintenance facility. So I assume they'll have flag men and alternating one way traffic.   more ›