Board to Consider $26 Million Streetcar Contract

The Arlington County Board on Tuesday is slated to consider a $26 million contract for preliminary engineering and design on the Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar project.

Following a request for proposals (RFP) process, county staff is recommending the contract be awarded to Omaha-based HDR, Inc., which also handled planning and construction management on the District of Columbia streetcar project.

The contract will cover preliminary engineering and bring the streetcar project up to “30 percent design,” according to Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokesman Eric Balliet. The county is still working on the streetcar system’s final design and construction plan.

So far, the county hasn’t posted the staff report for the contract award proposal. Balliet said there will be a comprehensive presentation at Tuesday night’s Board meeting.

Also on Tuesday, the Board is set to consider a contract for a companion project — the second phase of multimodal improvements along Columbia Pike. The $5.6 million contract, to North Carolina-based Kimley-Horn and Associates, would cover the final design of improvements on all Arlington segments Columbia Pike not covered in phase one of the project.