Five teams of major construction firms have been selected to compete to design and build the second phase of the planned Metrorail transit extension to northern Virginia’s Dulles International Airport, and beyond.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which is managing the project, announced on Oct. 17 that the finalists will vie for a contract, estimated at $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion, for the 11.6-mi. Phase 2. The short list, with each contender's equity members, includes, in alphabetical order:

Bechtel Transit Partners (Bechtel Infrastructure Corp.); 

Capital Rail Constructors (Clark Construction Group LLC/Kiewit Infrastructure South Co.);

Dulles APC Railbuilders (Archer Western Contractors LLC/PCL Civil Constructors Inc./Corman Construction Inc.);

Dulles Metrorail Connectors (Skanska USA Civil Southeast/Granite Construction Co./G.A. & F.C. Wagman Inc./Trumbull Corp./Facchina Construction Co.);

Silver Line Constructors (Fluor Enterprises Inc./Tutor Perini Corp./Stacy and Witbeck Inc.)

MWAA says it anticipates making an award in May 2013, and adds, “The award will be made to the offeror submitting an acceptable technical proposals and lowest price.” The authority also says construction of Phase 2 is anticipated to be finished in mid-2018. It will have six stations, including one at the airport, and end at Route 772 in Loudoun County

Construction of the 11.5-mi. Phase 1 started in 2009 and is 82% complete. That segment is projected to open at the end of 2013, MWAA says.  The Phase 1 contractor is a team of Bechtel and URS.

Phase 1 starts at East Falls Church, where it will branch off from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's existing Orange Line, and runs to the eastern edge of Reston.