State officials expect to have a price proposal in hand by the end of the year from the firms seeking to build the first half of rail to Dulles.
The proposal from Dulles Transit Partners, a team made up of Bechtel and Washington Group International, would be a major step toward knowing the true cost of the first phase of the rail extension.
The first phase, now estimated at $2.1 billion, would split a new track off of the Orange Line after the East Falls Church station and run it to Wiehle Avenue.
Eventually, the rail would be built to a full 23 miles past Dulles airport.
The cost and timeline have long been mired in uncertainty for the rail project, and it’s likely the new price tag will be driven up by the rising cost of materials, delays and recently added design features.
A state transportation official announced this week that the construction start date will be pushed back about a year, largely because months of mulling over whether to build a tunnel under Tysons Corner for the rail sidelined the project.
Project officials are now aiming to start in early 2008, said Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project spokeswoman Marcia McAllister.
Gov. Tim Kaine decided last month that building a tunnel would jeopardize $900 million in federal funds for the rail because the added costs meant the project would not meet strict cost-effectiveness standards.
He instead opted for the original plan, an aerial rail through Tysons. Shortly after that decision was announced, project officials said they expected completion of the first phase, slated for late 2011, to be pushed off until some time in the following year.
The announcement of the delay in the start date again brought to light the frustrations of local board members, who have made some dramatic departures from state officials recently on how the rail extension should be managed.
“Yes, it will happen,” said Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth on Thursday.
“But obviously not quite when we had expected it.”
