Phase I of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Extension
The Dulles Corridor Metrorail is among the world's most sophisticated rail systems and boasts the latest safety features, such as advanced control systems. Passengers can expect one of the smoothest train rides ever experienced as a result of innovative design and construction. Phase 1 includes five stations, 6 miles (nearly 10 kilometers) of elevated track, and twin tunnels running beneath one of the busiest office and retail centers in the United States—where 700,000 cars travel each day.
Construction required three enormous overhead cranes custom-built to lift segments of elevated guideway into place between huge piers. One of the 366-ton behemoths—heavier than a fully loaded Airbus A350—stretched across 12 lanes of traffic over the Capital Beltway. A total of 3 miles (nearly 3 kilometers) of the Phase 1 alignment comprises aerial track, including both the inbound and outbound guideway.
Partnership with the community
We employed more than 2,000 people, most of them from the Washington, D.C., area, and contracted with more than 200 local businesses over the course of the project.
Project facts
- Ranks as one of the largest construction projects in the United States
- Marks the first use in the United States of technology co-developed by Bechtel that enabled secure, two-way communication and data exchange between surveyors and satellite office staff and GPS-guided construction machinery, which greatly enhanced construction productivity and quality
