Transit
Virginia Names Contractors for $2.3B Potomac River Rail, Pedestrian Bridges
The Long Bridge Project is planned to increase capacity at a bottleneck for trains crossing between Washington, D.C. and Virginia.
Rendering courtesy Virginia Passenger Rail Authority
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority’s plans to expand the state’s rail infrastructure are moving ahead. The agency recently selected joint venture contractor Long Bridge Rail Partners to serve as the design-builder for the south package of its $2.3-billion Long Bridge Project. With the contract, VPRA officials say they have the full project team in place.
The joint venture includes Pittsburgh-based Trumbull Corp.; Pittsburgh-based Fay, S&B USA Construction; and York, Pa.-based Wagman Heavy Civil Inc. STV is the lead designer.
“The selection of Long Bridge Rail Partners completes the team that will build the largest of our Transforming Rail in Virginia projects, which will significantly change the way Virginians travel,” said DJ Stadtler, executive director of VPRA, in a statement.
VPRA plans to build a two-track rail bridge crossing the Potomac River between Arlington, Va., and Washington, D.C. beside another two-track bridge owned by CSX Transportation that is more than 100 years old. The plan also calls for construction of a separate pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the Potomac, four other rail bridges and one other pedestrian bridge, plus related infrastructure along a 1.8-mile corridor.
The south package includes the new rail and pedestrian bridges crossing the Potomac, plus additional infrastructure between the Rosslyn Interlocking in Arlington to the new bridge’s northern abutment including construction of retaining walls and a fender system in the river.
The project is needed to relieve congestion at the current bridge, which officials with the rail authority say has become a bottleneck for CSX, Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express trains. The bridge operated at 98% capacity during peak hours, with nearly 80 trains crossing it each day. Increased capacity will allow for more frequent passenger train service, according to VPRA.
“The Long Bridge Project will unlock the bottleneck in this congested corridor and provide enhanced service for CSX customers, as well as VRE and Amtrak passengers,” said Randy Marcus, director of state relations for Virginia, West Virginia and D.C. at CSX, in a statement.
VPRA previously awarded a progressive design-build contract to a joint venture of Skanska and Flatiron for the north package, which covers the remainder of the Long Bridge Project on the D.C. side of the river. The scope of that contract includes construction of a new rail bridge and replacement of three other two-track rail bridges with four-track rail bridges, plus replacement of a pedestrian bridge.
The work is being funded in part with a $729-million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program.
VPRA aims to complete construction in 2030.
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