Silver Line Dulles WMATA Metrorail progress/pictures

Mod note: Split post from when phase I of the Silver Line opened.


Went over to Tysons Corner Yesterday.

The only actual real construction on the project that is taking place is in the area of the portal west of the future Tysons Central 123 (Tysons Corner Center) Station. Some tree clearing has been done along the Dulles Connector Road adjacent to the interchange with VA I-66. Most of the rest construction taking place is utility relocation with the exception of the work being done in the VA-123 Chain Bridge Road VA I-495 Capitol Beltway Interchange. That work is a separate project, Virginia I-495 Capitol Beltway HOV/HOT lane project.

Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project Pictures 04-18-2009.

The best locations for taking pictures and viewing the project along VA-123 Chain Bridge Road west of the Capitol Beltway is from the WestPark Drive overpass and Tysons Corner Center parking deck E and to a lesser extent parking deck D. The east end of Leesburg Pike part of the is best viewed from the VA-123 Chain Bridge Road overpass. There is a terrace behind 8444 Westpark Drive that might be a good viewing location along Leesburg Pike west of the future Tysons Central 7 (Pike Seven Plaza) Station. Will have to check out that location on next visit.

All future reports and picture by me on the progress of the project will appear in this topic.

From Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project progress update e-mail 05 13 2009

Construction Speeds Up in Tysons, Reston
Tunnel, Station Foundation Work Beginning Along Route 123



Construction continues on Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project with the major focus now on the Tysons Corner area.

Cranes and other large pieces of construction equipment can be seen on the northwest side of Route 123 from Route 267 (Dulles Connector Road) to Route 7 and on both sides of Route 7 from Route 123 west to the Dulles Toll Road interchange.

Dulles Transit Partners, the Phase 1 design-build contractor, has set up a major construction operations center in a large block bordered by Route 123, International Drive, Galleria Drive and Tysons Boulevard.




In this area, you will see:
· Near International Drive, construction of a short tunnel that will connect the rail line from Route 123 to Route 7.
· At Tysons Boulevard, construction beginning for the foundations of the Tysons Central 123 station.

Soon there will be signs of construction all along the 11-mile corridor from the junction of Routes 267 and I-66 west to Wiehle Avenue in the Dulles Connector Road and the Dulles Airport Access Road including:
· Clearing, site prep in the medians.[br]
· Site access development near the Wiehle Avenue Metro Station.

21 Utilities Going Underground; Sidewalks Coming on Leesburg Pike


While it's becoming difficult for residents to differentiate between rail construction and utility relocation work, contractors have completed more than 40 percent of the necessary utility relocation work.

As part of moving 21 different utilities along both sides of Route 7 to either side of the roadway, utilities are being placed underground prior to the widening of Route 7 from three to four lanes in each direction. Eventually, the rail project will build sidewalks on both sides of Route 7.

Project Basics

The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project is a 23-mile extension of Metro's existing Orange Line. The new line will connect with the Orange Line just east of the West Falls Church Metro Station, right where the Dulles Connector Road and Interstate 66 merge. It is being built in two phases.

Phase 1 will run from the East Falls Church Metro Station to Wiehle Avenue in Reston and will have four stops in Tysons Corner - Tysons East, Tysons Central 123, Tysons Central 7 and Tysons West. The completion date is 2013.

Phase 2 will run from the Wiehle Avenue Station in Reston to Ashburn in eastern Loudoun County. Stations are planned at Reston Parkway, Herndon Monroe, Route 28 near the Center for Innovative Technology, Washington Dulles International Airport, Route 606 and Route 772 (Ashburn).

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Note: The photos above of the rebar assemblies were taken in the staging area to north of the Tyson 123 (Tyson Center Station).

From Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project progress update e-mail 06 09 2009



Construction Headquarters behind TBM launch area at west end of Tysons 123 (Tysons Center) station

Construction Signals Transformation of Dulles Corridor

Throughout Tysons Corner, cranes and other heavy equipment are signs of major construction work now underway on Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. This signals the coming of the long-awaited rail line that will eventually connect the entire Dulles Corridor from East Falls Church to Dulles Airport and eastern Loudoun and serve the bustling Tysons Corner, Reston and Herndon areas along the way.

The new 23-mile rail line is being built in two phases. It will bring about major changes in transportation options and lifestyles of those who live, work, travel and play in this important quadrant of Northern Virginia and the entire metropolitan area. The rail line will provide a "no transfer" ride from Dulles Airport to downtown Washington, and it will energize visions for the future of areas around the new rail stations.

Basic Facts
Phase 1
· 5 stations along 11 miles from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue
· 4 stations in Tysons Corner
· 2,300 parking spaces at Wiehle Avenue
· Completion: 2013

Phase 2
· 6 stations along 11.5 miles from Wiehle Avenue to Route 772 in Loudoun with stops at Reston Parkway, Herndon-Monroe, Route 28 near the CIT, Dulles Airport , Route 606 and Route 772 (Ashburn)
· Parking at Herndon-Monroe, Route 28, 606 and 772
· Completion: 2016

Current Work Areas
· Along the northwest side of Route 123 between Tysons Boulevard and International Drive where tunnel preparation work is taking place
· Clearing and site prep in the median of Route 267
· Site access prep near the Wiehle Avenue station



Truck at Construction Headquarters

Utility Relocations
· Continue along Routes 7 and 123
· Now more than 50 percent complete

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John in the sand box of Maryland's eastern shore.

It's a beautiful thing seeing this type of progress, please keep the updates coming.

Btw..

Did this project receive any stimulus funds to jump start construction?..

"Tom V"
It's a beautiful thing seeing this type of progress, please keep the updates coming.

Plan to make a trip over on the weekend of 06 27 2009 to get some pictures and report on progress.

Btw..

Did this project receive any stimulus funds to jump start construction?..

I don't think so.

From Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project progress update e-mail 07 06 2009


Aerial of Route 123 in Tysons Corner
Photo by Trevor Wrayton, VDOT
(TBM launch area in upper left corner of work area)

Route 123 Under Construction

Current Activity
Utility relocation continues along the northwest side of Route 123 between Route 267 and Route 7
Construction of piers at intersection of Westpark Bridge, next to Route 123
Construction headquarters is located at the intersection of Route 123, between International Drive and Tysons Boulevard
Ongoing coordination with the Capital Beltway HOT Lanes Project at the I-495/Route 123 intersection
Tree and shrub clearing and site preparation continues

What to Expect on Route 123: 2009
Construction of the Tysons East and Tysons Central 123 station guideways will begin this Summer and Fall
Construction will begin on the 2,400-foot tunnel between the International Drive/Route 123 intersection and the Marshalls Drive/Route 7 intersection

Long-Term Impacts
Guideway construction to begin in 2010 and continue along the northwest side (Capital One & Tysons Galleria side) of Route 123 into 2013.


Deep Trench Under Construction

Route 7 Under Construction

What to Expect on Route 7: 2009
Service roads will close late Summer, early Fall 2009

Most mid-block left turns and U-turns will close in Fall 2009

Business access will remain a priority

Long-term lane shifts near the future Tysons West and Tysons Central 7 stations begin in 2009

The number of traffic lanes will be maintained except for brief off-peak closures

Tunnel Details
Construction will begin on the 2,400-foot tunnel between the International Drive/Route 123 intersection and the Marshalls Drive/Route 7 intersection

Construction to begin late Summer/early Fall 2009

Utility Relocation Continues
21 utilities being relocated along service roads: power, communications, water and sewer

Power lines will be placed underground

Projected completion: early 2010

Dulles Toll Road/Route 7 Intersection
Temporary nighttime ramp closings and detours this Summer

Long-Term Impacts
Significant traffic shifts on Route 7 for Tysons West and Tysons Central 7 stations:

- Summer/Fall 2009 (exit ramp westbound Route 7 to southbound Route 123)

- Spring 2010 (westbound and eastbound Route 7)

- Fall 2010 (westbound Route 7 only)

- Fall 2011 (restore westbound Route 7 to final configuration)

Track construction to begin in 2010 and continue in median into 2013

###

July 2009 Newsletter (534 KB PDF file) Text same as above with additional pictures.

"JackRussell"

Beat me to posting the picture from the newsletter. Full text of newsletter in my post above.

FYI: Right click image, by changing the number in the image file name downward one can see older progress photos.

There also is a collection of progress photos at dullestransitpartners.com

I can toss out a few of my own comments on what I have observed. Starting at the point where I-66 meets the toll road extension, the vertical pillars are taking shape nicely. It appears as if there are going to be two sets of supports - one for each track (and not one set of supports that holds both tracks).

The separate elevateds for each track is for three reasons. The radius of the outbound track N2 is sharper because it only cross over the westbound lanes of VA I-66. The inbound track N2 also has to cross over the existing K Route orange line tracks. The lead track from the from the Falls Church Yard passes under inbound track N2 and will connect to the main line from between.

See: maps.google.com Phase I N Route Silver Line (VA I-66 fly over and Falls Church Yard Lead)

Along the toll road and toll road extension they have been doing lots of preparation. Trees and excess soil have been removed, jersey barriers are up. In Tysons proper, work continues - along Rt 7, it appears as if they are clearing the areas where the future stations will be built. Utility work is still continuing on the north side of Rt 7 - they have not yet moved any utility lines underground.

Along the toll road, they are starting to talk about building numerous bridges, but I am not yet aware of any construction activity.

I haven't been down Rt 123 in a while, so I don't have anything to add about that part of the project. The work at the Rt 7 end of the tunnel that was previously noted seems to have stalled for a bit - I haven't seen much change there in recent weeks.

If there is anything in particular that anyone would like me to try and photograph, let me know and I can give it a shot. I am not keen on trespassing, so it would need to be something one could see from a public road or sidewalk.

I Have a Picasa Web Photo Gallery of the Dullas Corridor Metrorail Project. Expect to add to at least twice before the end of the year.

We live in the Tysons area, so I see a lot of this stuff going on every day. On the south side of Rt 7, it looks like the utility relocation digging is largely finished - a few weeks ago they had deep holes where they were building something (underground vaults, I imagine). Now those holes are filled in and there are manholes at the surface for access. They have not moved any overhead lines however - this may not take place until both sides are done.

The activity at 7&123 had baffled me at first, but I think you are right that this is the transition from the tunnel to cut-and-cover. I could have sworn that I saw mention of getting ready for a TBM, but I can't find the reference now. On the whole it didn't seem worth the trouble to get a TBM for a 1/2 mile tunnel. But I did find this:

http://www.onemine.org/search/summary.c ... 63F3836799

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority are undertaking the extension of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrorail service to Washington Dulles International Airport and beyond to Route 772 in Loudoun County, Virginia. The roughly 37 kilometers long, double track alignment involves two 700 meters long single track, soft ground NATM tunnels at Tysons Corner, two 3.3 kilometers long single track rock TBM tunnels at Dulles Airport and one 25-meter deep station at the airport to be constructed by NATM in sedimentary rock. The design-build project is being implemented in a Public-Private-Partnership. A joint venture of Bechtel and Washington Group International has concluded the preliminary engineering and construction is scheduled to start in late 2007.

Did WMATA keep the TBM machine they had used before?

If so, where did they stash it all these years?

Here is something I just got from the county supervisor:

With Phase I construction underway, including four stations in Tysons Corner on the way to Wiehle Avenue in Reston, rail to Dulles is imminent. Work on Route 7 roadway enhancements will begin later this summer and rail construction all along Route 267 will begin later this year. Preparatory work at the Route 7 / 123 interchange is underway for the Tysons Central 123 Station and tunnel portion of rail at this location. Tunnel rail construction under the interchange will begin later this year, with aerial rail construction along the Dulles Connector Road and Route 123 to begin in early 2010.

This must be a new usage of the word "imminent" with which I am not yet familiar .

Phase II of the Dulles Metroail project will extend the new Silver Line all the way to Dulles Airport and into Loudon County. Phase II will be funded primarily through bonds issued in relation to revenue collected from Dulles Toll Road tolls. Rail to Dulles is assured.

In order to build Metrorail stations that will serve this western corridor, it is critical that property owners in the corridor establish a Special Tax District to provide funding for their construction. Establishing the Phase II Tax District is vital if we are going to have stations between Tysons Corner and Dulles Airport.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) has announced upcoming public hearings on proposed toll rate increases, to take effect in 2010, of 25 cents at the Main Toll Plaza and 25 cents at the ramps of the Dulles Toll Road. This increase has already been anticipated.

Additionally, under this proposal, in 2011, the toll at the Main Plaza would increase by an additional 25 cents, with another 25 cents Main Plaza increase in 2012. There would not be increases at the ramp areas during those years.

Public hearings will take place on the following dates at these locations:

Monday, August 24 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Ashburn Elementary School
44062 Fincastle Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147

Thursday, September 3 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
McLean High School
1633 Davidson Road, McLean, VA 22101

Wednesday, September 9 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
South Lakes High School
11400 South Lakes Drive, Reston, VA 20191

"JackRussell"
We live in the Tysons area, so I see a lot of this stuff going on every day. On the south side of Rt 7, it looks like the utility relocation digging is largely finished - a few weeks ago they had deep holes where they were building something (underground vaults, I imagine). Now those holes are filled in and there are manholes at the surface for access. They have not moved any overhead lines however - this may not take place until both sides are done.

The activity at 7&123 had baffled me at first, but I think you are right that this is the transition from the tunnel to cut-and-cover. I could have sworn that I saw mention of getting ready for a TBM, but I can't find the reference now. On the whole it didn't seem worth the trouble to get a TBM for a 1/2 mile tunnel. But I did find this:
http://www.onemine.org/search/summary.c ... 63F3836799

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority are undertaking the extension of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrorail service to Washington Dulles International Airport and beyond to Route 772 in Loudoun County, Virginia. The roughly 37 kilometers long, double track alignment involves two 700 meters long single track, soft ground NATM tunnels at Tysons Corner, two 3.3 kilometers long single track rock TBM tunnels at Dulles Airport and one 25-meter deep station at the airport to be constructed by NATM in sedimentary rock. The design-build project is being implemented in a Public-Private-Partnership. A joint venture of Bechtel and Washington Group International has concluded the preliminary engineering and construction is scheduled to start in late 2007.

NATM = New Austrian Tunnelling Method. This type of tunneling does not make use of a TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine).

NATM Basically involves excavating the tunnel from the crown of the tunnel down to the floor with a continuos mining machine. The outside envelope of the excavation is lined with shotcreate as the soil or rock is removed downwards. A final tunnel lining is poured after the full cross section is excavated and initially lined with shotcreate.

Unless the station design has been changed I don't think the Dulles Airport station will be excavated using NATM. The EIS has the top of rail in the station at roughly 50' below grade. The 25m quoted above puts the top of rail at roughly 75' below grade. The EIS has the station fare collection mezzanine on the same level as the existing pedestrian tunnel that connects the main terminal building to the multilevel garage north of the parking lot in front of the main terminal building. The platform is to be 20' 6" below existing pedestrian tunnel. The EIS shows two tunneling options east of the airport station, one option west of the station. One is a deep bore hard rock tunnel roughly 20' to 40' below a tunnel bored through softer rock and or soil.

See:
http://www.dullesmetro.com/pdfs/FEIS_IV ... rofile.pdf Dulles Airport plan and profile pages 20 - 26 (54.4 MB PDF file)

http://www.dullesmetro.com/pdfs/FEIS_V/ ... irport.pdf Final plans Dulles Airport Station (3.30 MB PDF file)

"farecard"
Did WMATA keep the TBM machine they had used before?

If so, where did they stash it all these years?

The only full fledge hard rock TBM used to excavate tunnels in the system were the tunnels along the A Route Red line between Rock Creek Park and Pooks Hill Road. The rest of the hard rock tunnels were excavated by blast mining or with a continuos mining machine. I have no idea who owned the TBM, but it certainly did not belong to WMATA, its whereabouts are unknown to me. Before that TBM excavated the A Route Red line tunnels it excavated the tunnels for a particle accelerator in Texas.

This one is a little late:

From Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project progress update 08 04 2009

Construction Progress More Visible

Construction activities are officially underway along the entire alignment of Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. See the route map on page 2 to reference locations listed below. (589 KB PDF file)


Dulles Connector Road VA-267 just west of VA I-66, grading at west end of elevated to cross VA I-66 and Falls Church Yard lead
Photo by Jessica Labukas, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project

Dulles Connector Road/I-66 Interchange
Caissons and piers, which will support foundations for at-grade and aerial track work, are being built. You will continue to see more of these develop along the Dulles Connector Road median in the coming months.

Dulles Connector Road
During the week of Aug. 10, overnight work will close the eastbound Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) ramp to northbound Route 123. Drivers will be directed to detour by using the ramp to southbound
Route 123 and using the traffic signal to access the northbound lanes.

Route 123
Early preparation of the eastern portion of the 2,400-foot tunnel has begun at Route 123 and International Drive, including construction of a concrete plant. This month, other equipment and facilities essential to the tunnel construction will be put into place.
Preliminary foundation work is taking place for the Tysons Central 123 station at Route 123 and Tysons Boulevard.


West end of excavation west of Tyson Central 123 (Tysons Center) station.
Photo by Howard Menaker, Dulles Transit Partners


Excavation west of Tyson Central 123 (Tysons Center) station.
Photo by Howard Menaker, Dulles Transit Partners

Route 7
The ramp from southbound Route 123 to Route 7 will close temporarily overnight Aug. 7-8. Construction crews will permanently remove traffic signals and reconfigure the traffic plan. After Aug. 8, the ramp will only reopen for westbound Route 7 only. Eastbound Route 7 from southbound 123 will remain closed. Please use southbound International Drive to access eastbound Route 7.
The two-way Frontage Road along the north side of Route 123 between International Drive and Route 7 is subject to nighttime closures to support ongoing utility relocations. Business access remains open during this work.
Work has begun on the western portion of the tunnel at the northwest cloverleaf at Route 7 and Route 123 along the Frontage Road.

Dulles International Airport Access Highway (DIAAH) and Dulles Toll Road (DTR)
Construction has started in the median of the DIAAH near the future Wiehle Avenue station.

Ongoing Work
Utility relocations and occasional lane closures will continue along the Route 7 service roads, portions of Route 123, the DIAAH and the DTR. Access to all businesses will be maintained throughout this work.
Ramp closures are scheduled at night in order to avoid peak traffic hours.
Motorists should stay alert and be prepared to alter their travel along these roads.

Sand Box John wrote:

The only full fledge hard rock TBM used to excavate tunnels in the system were the tunnels along the A Route Red line between Rock Creek Park and Pooks Hill Road. The rest of the hard rock tunnels were excavated by blast mining or with a continuos mining machine. I have no idea who owned the TBM, but it certainly did not belong to WMATA, its whereabouts are unknown to me. Before that TBM excavated the A Route Red line tunnels it excavated the tunnels for a particle accelerator in Texas.

What was used for north of Silver Spring - Forest Glen, Wheaton, etc...?

"farecard"
What was used for north of Silver Spring - Forest Glen, Wheaton, etc...?

A combination of blast mining and the use a continuos mining machine. The unlined tunnels were not perfectly circular like the tunnels on the A Route.

I lived in that area during the excavation of that section of the B route. Tunneling was driven north and south from multiple shafts along Georgia Avenue. One of the reasons why Forest Glen and Wheaton are so deep is, that's where the hard bed rock is.

The Sept update is finally up: http://www.dullesmetro.com/pdfs/09SEP_D ... letter.pdf

Rt 123 tunnel entrance - cut-and-cover preparations:


Rt 7 tunnel entrance - cut-and-cover preparation:

Photos by Jessica Labukas, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project

I can toss out a few of my own comments on what I have observed. Starting at the point where I-66 meets the toll road extension, the vertical pillars are taking shape nicely. It appears as if there are going to be two sets of supports - one for each track (and not one set of supports that holds both tracks). If I get a chance this weekend I might try and sneak away from the honey-do list and take a few pictures of my own.

Along the toll road and toll road extension they have been doing lots of preparation. Trees and excess soil have been removed, jersey barriers are up. In Tysons proper, work continues - along Rt 7, it appears as if they are clearing the areas where the future stations will be built. Utility work is still continuing on the north side of Rt 7 - they have not yet moved any utility lines underground.

Along the toll road, they are starting to talk about building numerous bridges, but I am not yet aware of any construction activity.

I haven't been down Rt 123 in a while, so I don't have anything to add about that part of the project. The work at the Rt 7 end of the tunnel that was previously noted seems to have stalled for a bit - I haven't seen much change there in recent weeks.

If there is anything in particular that anyone would like me to try and photograph, let me know and I can give it a shot. I am not keen on trespassing, so it would need to be something one could see from a public road or sidewalk..

There was this comment in the pdf file:

The Capital Beltway will be closed for at least 30 minutes late Friday night, Sept. 25, between midnight and 5 a.m. to allow Dominion Virginia Power to walk new power lines across the Beltway to support the Dulles Rail Project construction. Details can be found at http://www.dullesmetro.com.