The first parts of a proposal to design and build much of the extension of Metrorail to Dulles reached state transit officials on Monday, though the proposed cost of the massive transit project has yet to be unveiled.
Dulles Transit Partners, a group of firms made up of engineering giants Bechtel and Washington Group International, is expected to soon deliver a price tag on the first phase of the project, though it’s unclear exactly when. The first half of the 23-mile track would split off from the Orange Line after the East Falls Church Metro station and run to Wiehle Avenue.
“We are in the process of receiving [the initial proposal],” said Marcia McAllister, a spokeswoman for the commonwealth. “We are reviewing it.”
She and a Bechtel spokesman declined to comment on what documents were received on Monday morning, but said a cost proposal was not included. Earlier estimates have put the entire project at $4 billion.
The submission signals a major first step in a lengthy and complicated negotiation process between Dulles Transit Partners, state transportation officials and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which will eventually take on management of the project.
If those negotiations are successful, the commonwealth plans to move forward with a design-build contract with Dulles Transit Partners, which some refer to as a “no-bid” contract. Fairfax County supervisors and some local groups have asked, instead, that other firms be allowed to vie for the project.
“When the day is over, I’d still like to see some competition for Bechtel,” said Fairfax County Supervisor Dana Kauffman, who represents the Lee District. “I’d like to see this whole project put to competitive bid.”
