Silver Line Update: Dulles Metrorail More Than 70 Percent Complete

Construction of Phase one of the metrorail to Dulles Airport has reached the 71 percent mark and will be complete in the summer of 2013, according to the latest update from the Dulles Metrorail project.

That bright yellow truss near the Sheraton Tysons is building the final flyover bridge for the new Silver Line Metrorail at Rt. 7/Toll Road. 

A bright yellow and blue truss, also known as a horizontal truss, is being used to build the bridge which will carry tracks from Route 7 to the median of the Airport Access Highway. At one point during the height of construction, three horizontal cranes were at work at the same time in Tysons.

The truss is now working over the eastbound lanes of the DIAAH, prompting overnight full closures of the eastbound Airport Access Highway from Centreville Road to the merge past the main toll plaza.

Construction of the bridge segments is expected to be completed by August. Then the truss will be disassembled and removed. The completion of the final bridge segments will mark a significant milestone in the project.

The 23-mile Silver Line is under construction in two phases. The first phase is currently under construction from West Falls Church through McLean and Tysons Corner to Wiehle Road in Reston. Then phase 2, which is mired in controversy for several reasons, would take metrorail from Wiehle to Dulles Airport and into Loudoun County.

Fairfax County is counting on the new rail line to transform Tysons Corner, where four of the 5 stations  in phase 1 are located into a major economic center for the county and the state of Virginia.

Here are other construction highlights:

Tysons East Station - The Tysons East Station, along Dolley Madison Boulevard near Capital One, is structurally complete.  The pedestrian pavilion on the south side of Route 123 is taking shape, and construction of support piers on each side of Route 123 are very visible to passers-by.

Eventually, a lane shift  around the median of Route 123 will be needed to construct the middle support pier. Pedestrian bridge building starts later this year.

Tysons Central 7 Station - Pile driving for the pedestrian pavilions is complete at this station located on Route 7 just north of Route 123 in Tysons Corner.
 
Tysons West Station - Pile driving for the north pavilion is complete. A road shift to support a work area in front of the Honda dealership on Route 7 was implemented May 4.  Site preparation and pile driving there will take place later this month.
 
Wayside Facilities, Traction Power Substations, Train Control Rooms - Wayside facilities are the prefabricated buildings that provide the auxiliary power, switching and environmental controls for the Silver Line. At this time, only three facilities are still to be delivered. This should be done in June.
  
Pedestrian Bridge Construction Starting at Tysons Central 123 Station Across the Street from Tysons Corner Mall

Located on the northwest side of Route 123, the station includes a pedestrian bridge across busy Route 123 that will connect to a pedestrian access structure at Tysons Corner Center.
 
Construction crews will begin work on the foundation for the pedestrian bridge in the next few weeks, according to Kevin Volbrecht, the project's deputy director for construction.
 
"We will also be pouring concrete roof decks and continuing to install electrical and plumbing inside the interior rooms of the station," he said.