Steady progress continues on Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project with the design nearly complete and ample elements to capture curious eyes.
As construction continues to ramp up through 2016, commuters will see work along the entire 11.4-mile stretch of Phase 2, which extends from the existing Wiehle-Reston East station westward to Dulles International Airport and beyond to Ashburn in Loudoun County.
“This is the biggest year so far for construction all along the Phase 2 alignment from Reston west to Ashburn,” said Charles Stark, the executive director for the project. “There is a lot of work to be done.”
While the project’s design is 99.3 percent complete, construction is currently around 17 percent complete.
Considerable work has been done at Dulles Airport and at the Innovation Center station site, which is the first station to the east of the airport. Traversing the Dulles Airport property requires the use of an aerial guideway consisting of drilled shafts, columns, caps, girders, decks and other engineering elements. The shafts, columns and caps are mostly complete, and about 200 girders have been set along the guideway.
In addition to the aerial guideway, considerable work has been done at the Dulles Airport station site adjacent to Garage 1. The pedestrian tunnel running from Garage 1 to the main terminal has been closed to permit construction of the station. Once work has finished, the tunnel will reopen to provide access for those parking in the garage as well as those arriving or departing via Metro.
The future Innovation Center station site has experienced the most progress, taking on the look of the Phase 1 stations, while excavation work continues at most of the other five station comprising Phase 2. Ashburn remains the exception, but excavation work is expected to begin there later this year.
Crews continue to supplement their restricted daytime schedules with night work along the alignment.
