Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The federal loan program could save Fairfax County and Dulles Toll Road users millions, but the tight timeline is giving some supervisors pause.
Fairfax County transportation officials have asked the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to move on federal loans that could help pay for $1.9 billion of the total cost of the Silver Line. FCDOT representatives presented the Board with a series of recommendations Tuesday afternoon in order to file an application for a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan from the federal government. Joe LaHait, the county’s debt coordinator, said if the funding partners secured such a loan, approximately $1.3 billion would be allocated to the Dulles Toll Road. Toll Road users are currently on the hook for 75 percent of the $5.9 billion rail project and toll prices are expected to increase dramatically in the coming years…
Friday, April 26, 2013
More midday and evening routes for Fairfax County buses added as result of public input sessions; final plan expected in June.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is zeroing in on a plan for enhanced bus service to help residents get to new Metro stations when the Silver Line opens at the end of 2013. More than 40 percent of the Fairfax Connector system will change in some way when those stations open, and officials are continuing to seek feedback from residents to provide the best service possible. Wednesday night’s meeting in Tysons marked the end of the second round of public input sessions on the routes. FCDOT representatives conducted the first round in February, when many residents wanted to see changes to route layouts and bus frequency. The revised plan features more midday and evening bus service on Reston and Herndon routes. Officials also …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Capital Rail Constructors showed lowest bid for Silver Line construction.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Thursday issued a Notice of Recommended Award to Capital Rail Constructors for the major design-build portion of 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, April 19, 2013
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, …
Monday, April 15, 2013
McLean meeting will be held April 23.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting in April in McLean to discuss Fairfax Connector routes 401, 402, 427 and 574. The meeting will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 23 at McLean High School, 1633 Davidson Road. The department is holding six public meetings and one Ask Fairfax! online chat to discuss a Fairfax Connector proposed bus service plan that will coincide with the start of service on Metro’s new Silver Line in December. The plan includes the creation of 12 new routes, the restructuring of 24 existing routes and the elimination of six routes. The revised plan incorporates changes suggested by riders and the community since the original service proposal was released in January. The complete bus …
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Expect to see Metro cars along the Silver Line as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority tests tracks.
Those who live and work in Tysons Corner can expect to see more and more trains running above Route 7 in the coming months as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority tests the tracks on the Silver Line. Officials say that testing, which has been ongoing for the last few months, is proceeding smoothly. The Silver Line’s first phase, running from East Falls Church to Reston, is expected to be complete and operational by December. As the opening date draws nearer, folks will likely see more trains coming and going. Deborah Humphries works in Tysons Corner on Old Meadow Road, with an office overlooking the tracks. She took the photo with this story on Tuesday and sent it to Tysons Corner Patch via Twitter. The tests above ground …
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
McLean meeting will be held April 23.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting in April in McLean to discuss Fairfax Connector routes 401, 402, 427 and 574. The meeting will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 23 at McLean High School, 1633 Davidson Road. The department is holding six public meetings and one Ask Fairfax! online chat to discuss a Fairfax Connector proposed bus service plan that will coincide with the start of service on Metro’s new Silver Line in December. The plan includes the creation of 12 new routes, the restructuring of 24 existing routes and the elimination of six routes. The revised plan incorporates changes suggested by riders and the community since the original service proposal was released in January. The complete bus …
Saturday, March 23, 2013
The tunnel settled about 1 inch but officials say it is safe and will not affect service.
The Silver Line tunnel under Tysons Corner is safe and will not need more work, according to a recent engineering study. The Fairfax Times reports officials at the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority recently noticed the tunnel had settled about an inch into the soil. Contractors and an independent engineer conducted the new study to make sure the tunnel wouldn’t be too narrow to fit trains. The tunnel runs Silver Line trains under the busy intersection of Route 123 and Route 7 in Tysons Corner. According to the Times, MWAA President and CEO Jack Potter said the settling was normal and repairs on the tunnel would not be necessary. Potter also said there was no reason to be concerned for safety. Nonetheless, an update on the review …
Saturday, March 16, 2013
The Silver Line's first phase is on schedule to take riders to Reston by December 2013; a construction contract for Phase II should be awarded in May.
The first phase of the Silver Line is on track to be taking Metro passengers as far as Reston in December 2013, officials confirmed this week. During a Tuesday meeting of Fairfax County’s commission for the Phase I Transportation Improvement District, Mark Canale, Dulles Rail Project Manager for the county’s Department of Transportation, said construction on the first phase is about 89 percent complete. Canale told the commission, led by Chairman Sharon Bulova, that 98 percent of tracks for the extension from East Falls Church to Wiehle Ave in Reston 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 …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Still talk of possibly opening a sub-police station in a mixed use building in Tysons Corner.
The 126 sworn officers and 40 to 50 non-sworn personnel have simply outgrown the McLean District Police Station. For now, they are waiting on the completion of their new $20.1 million home that is scheduled to open in September 2014. Capt. Dan Janickey, commander of the station that covers Merrifield, Dunn Loring, Falls Church, McLean, Tyson’s Corner, and Great Falls, said he can’t wait for the new station to open. “The roof has been leaking for years and we don’t have anywhere to park our cruisers,” Janickey said of the current station built in the 1970s. “It’s a good time to be at the McLean station.” Construction on the state-of-the-art station, which will include more meeting rooms and an updated security system on top of more space, …
Bob Bruhns
2:53 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013
Surprisingly, one source reports that Fairfax County staff hopes to get interest as low as 2% on its Tifia loan for the Dulles Rail / Silver Line project. Fairfax County preps to pay rest of rail bill Fairfax Times, May 08, 2013 http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130508/NEWS/130508899/1117/fairfax-county-preps-to-pay-rest-of-rail-bill&template=fairfaxTimes Looking at the US DOT / FTA TIFIA … more ›