From Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project progress update e-mail 03 09 2010.
No February progress update Newsletter
The outbound tunnel that will carry rail between Route 123 and Route 7 in Tysons Corner is currently 420-feet long and passes completely under International Drive.
Photo by Rich Silva, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
A Year of Dulles Rail Construction Progress
Stations, Guideways, Tunnels Under Construction for Phase 1
It's been a year of progress for Dulles Rail. Since the Federal Transit Administration's approval of $900 million in "new starts" funds to complete the financial package for construction of Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project in March 2009, construction has started all along the 11-mile alignment from East Falls Church to Reston.
More than 95 percent of the construction of manholes and duct banks necessary for relocating the 21 utilities in the Route 7 alignment area have been completed. Some overhead power lines have been permanently removed and utility crews are now working in those manholes underground to connect the new lines.
In spite of the record winter storms:
· Construction of the Wiehle Avenue Station on the eastern edge of Reston is underway.
· Crews this month will begin work on the Tysons East Station, the first of four stations that will serve Tysons Corner.
· Many of the piers are now in place for the guideway that will carry the trains from the existing Orange Line to the middle of the Dulles Connector Road and from the Dulles Connector Road to to the northwest side of Route 123 near Capital One.
· Preparations for guideway work are starting at Route 7 and the Dulles Toll Road.
· And, the mining of the two tunnels that will carry trains from Route 7 to Route 123 are proceeding on schedule. The outbound tunnel now extends completely below International Drive and mining is about 150 feet into the inbound tunnel.
Fun Facts:
· More than 1,100 are now working on Dulles Rail.
· 214 caissons, underground supports for the aerial structures, have been built.
· More than 207 concrete sections of the aerial guideway that will support the rail track have been built at a staging area at Dulles Airport.
· Bridges are under construction to carry the rail tracks over Pimmit Run, the WO&D Trail in Reston, and Magarity Road.
Pier guideway construction underway at the I-66 and Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) interchange.
Photo by Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
(I took some pictures from this location on my last visit to the area)
Big Changes Coming to Route 7
Heavy snow delayed plans for major changes to Route 7 in Tysons Corner until April. Here is what to expect:
· Elimination of all mid-block left turns.
· Shifting of traffic lanes on eastbound Route 7 between Route 123 and Gosnell Road to make room for construction of the Tysons Central 7 Station.
· Continuing construction of retaining walls along some sections of eastbound Route 7 where crews are elevating the existing service roads to the same grade as Route 7. This is taking place near Pike 7 Plaza and Best Buy.
Construction of retaining walls on Route 7, necessary to build up the service roads to the same grade as Route 7 for lane shifting.
Photo by Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
Old Chain Bridge Road Closing for 4 Weeks
Construction of the metrorail project will cause the closing of Old Chain Bridge Road between Great Falls Street and Anderson Road in the McLean area in April for approximately four weeks, pending development of detailed plans.
A large truss will be assembled at the Dulles Connector Road bridge over Old Chain Bridge Road. This is a very large, rigid structure that will be used to build the elevated track. It will start at the abutment and piers that are under construction where the Dulles Connector Road runs over Old Chain Bridge Road.
Residents who live along Old Chain Bridge Road will continue to have access to their houses but through traffic will be shut down. Detours will be set up to handle through traffic.
Old Chain Bridge Road is a popular shortcut for those seeking to bypass the busy Route 123/Great Falls Street/Lewinsville Road intersection traveling to and from McLean's business district and Great Falls Street, Westmoreland and Old Dominion Drive and eventually back to Route 123 near Salona Village.
Details will be announced as soon as they are available.
Truss assembly taking place at Dulles Airport. Soon, trusses will be all along the corridor as the guideways go up to support construction.
Photo by Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
Tysons East Station Construction Begins
Pier construction at the Dulles Connector Road and Route 123 interchange leading up to the future Tysons East Station.
Photo by Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
Construction of the Tysons East Metrorail Station, the first station to be built in Tysons Corner, has started, bringing with it traffic pattern changes and detours for residents, workers, shoppers and those who use Route 123 near the Dulles Connector Road bridge.
· The right lane of southbound Route 123 from Scotts Crossing Road to the entrance ramp to northbound I -495 is closed for two years, but the ramp remains open.
· The entrance ramp for southbound Route 123 from the McLean area to the eastbound Dulles Connector Road and I-66 is closed for three months for erection of piers that will support the guideway for the rail tracks from the Dulles Connector Road to the northwest side of Route 123 and the Tysons East Station.
· Scotts Crossing Road will be narrowed.
· Caisson testing, which sounds like a small explosion, continues.
Two-Month Detour Along Tysons Boulevard
The two left turn lanes from northbound Route 123 to westbound Tysons Boulevard will be closed for approximately two months starting in mid-March as work begins on the Tysons Central 123 Station.
Traffic will be detoured to International and Galleria Drives. Southbound Route 123 traffic will continue to make right turns to Tysons Boulevard.
Pedestrian Bridge Begins at Wiehle Station Site
Travelers on the Dulles international Airport Access Highway will continue to see narrowed lanes between Wiehle Avenue and Reston Parkway because of Wiehle Avenue Metrorail Station construction.
Some lanes will closed on the Dulles Toll Road where foundations will be built for piers that will support pedestrian bridges connecting the station to both sides of the Airport Highway/Toll Road.
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March 2010 Newsletter (289 KB PDF file) Text and pictures same as above
John in the sand box of Maryland's eastern shore.