Capital Rail Constructors group wins Silver Line contract

(Ricky Carioti/Washington Post) Eric Carey, procurement officer for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, left, receives a packet of proposals from procurement technician Felipe Dominguez, during the opening of bid proposals for the second phase of the Silver Line rail extension. Capital Rail Constructors submitted the winning low-bid.

Capital Rail Constructors, a group that includes Bethesda-based Clark Construction, has won the contract to build the second phase of the Silver Line Rail extension, officials at the Washington Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed at their board meeting Wednesday.

The announcement by MWAA President and Chief Executive Officer Jack Potter was largely expected. Last month, the group, which also includes Kiewit Infrastructure Group, submitted the lowest bid in the competition to build the second phase of the rail line. It will extend from Wiehle Avenue to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County.  But the proposal had to be vetted by MWAA officials before an official announcement could be made.

Capital Rail Constructors’ bid of $1.18 billion was about about $14 million less than the next lowest bidder, Bechtel Transit Partners, which is building the first phase of the rail project. In all, five groups submitted bids to build the second phase of the 23.1 mile rail extension. The $1.18 billion proposal was well below the range of $1.4 billion and $1.6 billion that MWAA officials had projected as a guide to bidders.  The authority, which manages Reagan National and Washington Dulles International airports as well as the Dulles Toll Road, also is overseeing construction of the rail project.

The Silver Line is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. With a total estimated price tag of $5.6 billion, the rail line eventually will extend train service through Tysons to Dulles and into Loudoun. The project’s first phase, which runs from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue, is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

On Wednesday, the board also voted to award a contract valued between $20 million and $30 million for project management services. Additional  contracts will also be awarded for construction of a rail yard and parking garages.