The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Monday issued a Notice to Proceed to Capital Rail Constructors, a joint venture of Clark Construction Group and Kiewit Infrastructure South, to begin construction of Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.

“This is an important milestone,” said Airports Authority President and CEO Jack Potter.  “The Notice to Proceed allows Capital Rail Constructors to get to work making rail to Dulles a reality.  This means crews will soon be in the field surveying, performing site preparations and making geological assessments while they finalize permits and other design work. Actual construction work using heavy equipment and cranes will likely begin in spring of 2014.”

The Notice to Proceed initiates the contract, previously awarded to Capital Rail Constructors on May 14, for construction of six stations in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, 11.4 miles of track and guideways and wayside components. The stations are Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center near Route 28, Washington Dulles International Airport, Route 606 and Route 772/Ashburn. The notice sets a construction completion period of 60 months, targeting completion in July 2018.

“Ten years ago rail to Dulles and beyond was still just a hopeful idea,” said Airports Authority Chairman Michael Curto. “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.”

The announcement comes as the Airports Authority and its Phase 1 contractor Dulles Transit Partners are 94 percent complete with construction of Phase 1 of the Silver Line from East Falls Church, through Tysons Corner, to Wiehle Avenue on the eastern side of Reston. Phase 1 will have five stations, including four in the Tysons Corner area.

"Capital Rail Constructors is excited to receive the Notice to Proceed on the Rail to Dulles - Phase 2 project, which is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the nation,” said Capital Rail Constructors Project Director Mahmoud Hosseini. “We look forward to working closely with MWAA, its funding partners and WMATA to deliver this monumental project to the Washington metropolitan area. This project will have important long term economic impact on the community and the region through the creation of significant employment and local business opportunities."

Like Phase 1, construction of Phase 2 is expected to have significant positive impacts on the local economy. Phase 1 generated as many as 1,800 construction jobs during peak periods. In addition, 60 percent of all procurements for the project were with subcontractors based in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. region.

The Silver Line project is being undertaken in partnership with Loudoun and Fairfax counties, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority was established in 1987 by the governments of Virginia and the District of Columbia to manage and operate Washington’s Ronald Reagan National and Dulles International airports, which together serve more than 40 million passengers a year. The Airports Authority also operates and maintains the Dulles Airport Access Road and the Dulles Toll Road and manages construction of the Silver Line project, a 23-mile extension of the Washington region’s Metrorail system into Loudoun County, Va. No taxpayer money is used to operate the toll road, which is funded by toll revenues, or the airports, which are funded through aircraft landing fees, rents and revenues from concessions. The Silver Line construction is funded by a combination of toll-road revenues, airport contributions and federal, state and local government appropriations. The Airports Authority is led by a 17-member board of directors appointed by the governors of Virginia, Maryland, the mayor of Washington, D.C., and the president of the United States.

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