Five Fairfax County supervisors are asking Virginia’s governor to put the multi-billion dollar Dulles rail project out to bid, a request that runs counter to the commonwealth’s current plans.
Virginia transportation officials have repeatedly said they plan to enter talks with Dulles Transit Partners — a group that comprises engineering-giant Bechtel and Washington Group International — to design and build the first phase of the track. The group has already performed preliminary engineering for the rail line, which would eventually connect D.C. with Tysons and Dulles airport.
But a motion backed by at least half of the Fairfax board is asking the governor to reconsider that plan, arguing that Dulles Transit Partners gutted amenities and inaccurately estimated costs. Supervisors are advocating using an option in the state’s original agreement to let other groups vie to take on the construction of track.
“It’s odd to hear the private sector fearing competition,” said Lee District Supervisor Dana Kauffman, one of the board members behind the resolution, on Monday.
The long-awaited Metrorail extension has been plagued by cost and timeline arguments, as well as months of uncertainty over whether the track would be built above or under Tysons Corner. Bechtel Infrastructure has also faced criticism after a fatal tunnel accident on Boston’s Big Dig, a project the firm was heavily involved in.
There is still an argument over whether there was enough competition during the original negotiations that ultimately led to the “public-private partnership” between the state and the Dulles Transit Partners. Project officials have said the partnership selection was handled competitively; the Fairfax County resolution refers to it as an “un-bid” contract, echoing criticisms that it never went through a traditional bidding process.
“We will get to a point in time when we negotiate terms and conditions and a fixed price with Dulles Transit Partners,” said Matthew Tucker, director of the state’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
Final negotiations were delayed pending a decision on the tunnel option. Gov. Timothy Kaine announced Sept. 6 that the project would run on an elevated rail through Tysons, allowing planners to move forward with resolving other details.
