Construction on a new four-track bridge, meant to expand rail traffic between Arlington and D.C., is expected to get underway later this month.
The $1 billion undertaking by the development firm Skanska and infrastructure company FlatironDragados is on track to begin in the coming weeks, Skanska announced in a press release yesterday (Monday).
The company was unable to provide an official start date for the first phase of the Long Bridge North Project, which will involve building a one-mile rail link from East Potomac Park to L’Enfant Interlocking in D.C.
“Skanska is proud to be leading the construction team and work for the Long Bridge North Project, which will vastly improve freight and passenger rail service in the Capital Region,” said Michael Viggiano, executive vice president of Skanska USA Civil. “With funding in place and planning and approvals now complete, this highly complex and critical infrastructure project is shovel-ready.”
Ultimately, the project will expand the existing two-track rail corridor into a series of four-track rail bridges and corridors, beginning in Long Bridge Park, running across the Potomac to East Potomac Park and crossing the Washington Channel to arrive in D.C.
The project officially broke ground in October and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority awarded the north package of the project to Skanska and FlatironDragados in December.
The project is designed to boost passenger rail service across the Potomac and improve train reliability.
The current rail bridge over the Potomac, run by CSX Transportation, is over 100 years old and operates at 98% capacity during peak hours, according to a project page. With around 80 CSX, Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express trains crossing daily, it supports about 4.5 million VRE commuters and 1.3 million Amtrak passengers each year.
“This has been a choke point for rail traffic all up and down the East Coast,” former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “If you’re coming out of Boston, out of New York, and you wanted to get anywhere south of Washington on the train, this was the choke point. Adding this additional capacity is huge.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation has also awarded $20 million for a pedestrian bridge that will run alongside the tracks.
“FlatironDragados is pleased to transition from planning to construction with our partners Skanska and VPRA on a project that will improve rail service in this important region,” said FlatironDragados Executive Vice President Jim Schneiderman. “Through collaboration from day one, we have optimized a complex project to minimize construction risk and to enable greater schedule and cost certainty.”
The project has an estimated completion date in 2030.
