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  #1241  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2018, 2:18 AM
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Contractor selected for Potomac Yards Station

WMATA and the City of Alexandria, Virginia, have selected Potomac Yard Constructors—a joint venture of Halmar International and Schiavone Construction Co.—as the prime contractor to build the Potomac Yards metro infill station in the Potomac Yards area of Alexandria. Construction is expected to get underway in the Spring of 2019, with completion projected by late 2021 or early 2022.


Rendering of the Potomac Yards Metro station; looking east. Courtesy City of Alexandria.

Link: http://www.alexandrianews.org/2018/0...metro-station/

Last edited by ITB495; Sep 11, 2018 at 11:18 PM.
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  #1242  
Old Posted Dec 17, 2018, 12:32 PM
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It's been a while sense I published one of these, so let get on with it.

I will first start out with the one I forgot to post in August followed by the one from last week.

Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project Pictures 09 18 2018

All of the stations are well beyond being structurally complete. Several of the stations have had their granite edge and platform pavers installed. All of the the pedestrian bridges have been placed and are at various stages of having floors and ceiling installed. Innovation Center and Herndon are the closest to being totally done followed by Reston Town Center, Dulles Airport, Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn.

Entrance pavilion at all of the station are structurally complete and have their precast panels in place. Some have escalator and or elevators in place at various stages of completion. The last one to go up was Herndon north, go figure, it still has a some precast panels that still need to be installed. I noticed a lonely pedestrian bridge segment sitting on the ground near traction power substation #13 at Herndon. Seem there was a late change order made, that pedestrian bridge segment will connect the Herndon south entrance pavilion to level 2 of the existing garage.

At Dulles Airport, roughly 85 percent of the glazing between the mezzanine and station platform has been installed. The canopy is mostly complete. The precast panels on the station will not have the brick veneer like the other stations. The 4 mezzanine to platform elevators will be traction as apposed to hydraulic as use at the other stations and entrance pavilions. Something that was not spotted by me early on is there will be a traction power tie breaker on the east end of the station platform. All of the traction power substation and tie breakers on the airport property will not have precast concrete panels with brick veneer like the others, but will have vertical corrugated gray medal siding like what is used on the various airport service building.

The second new garage at Herndon is structurally complete, there will be no garages at Reston Town Center. A garage is near completion at Innovation Center south. The garage at Loudoun Gateway is roughly half done. A garage at Ashburn north is done and is open now to free parking.

Little to none of the of the sidewalks, access roadways to the garages, kiss and ride and bus terminals has been done at most of the stations. The exceptions being Innovation Center south and Ashburn south, both of those station have their bus terminal roadways in place. An aside note, the last 2 lane segment of Sunrise Valley Drive is being widened to 4 lanes just west of Innovation Center.

Track laying is mostly complete, only few short segments east of Ashburn need to be done. All of the interlocking track work is done. Third rail has been completed to the west yard lead junction and is proceeding to the west. It’s going to be a roller coaster ride through the west yard lead junction on the mainline.

Electricians have begun work wiring up signaling and training control as far west as the yard lead junctions. Signal heads have been installed at the interlocking was far west as the double crossover along Autopilot Drive. Fence intrusion detection is at various stages of completion east of the airport. The traction power cable management on the airport elevateds appears to be more compact then what was installed in Tysons Corner.

Traction power substations are mostly done with some still remaining to have their transformers installed along with their enclosures. The transformers are being sourced from a manufacture in Roanoke Virginia.

The buildings at Dulles Yard are structurally complete and like the airport station do not have brick veneer on them. Track work is mostly done and the electricians have begun work wiring up signaling system. Third rail has been installed in the storage tracks and along most of the length of the leads. Access roads in the yard are at various levels of completion.

The VA-606 widening project from 2 lanes to 4 south of the Dulles Greenway in front yard was completed and opened late last year.

Pictures at my Flicker Photo Stream DCMP 08 18 2018 album.

Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project Pictures 12 09 2018

All of the stations are essentially done, platform tile, granite edge, stairs. Escalators and elevators in the stations and entrance pavilions are in various stages of completion. Unable to verify the completion of the floor finish on the mezzanines and pedestrian bridges of the stations with the exception of the Dulles Airport. Floor tile is yet to be set on that station mezzanine.

All of the trackage is complete. The installation of the wayside train control and signaling hardware is well underway. It's far along to the point that the signals in the Innovation Center interlocking and in the Horsepen Run and Autopilot Drive interlockings on either side of the airport station are displaying red aspects. Installation of the wayside train control and signaling hardware west of the west yard lead is less far along. The 35KV power supply bus has been energized, most if not all of the passenger stations are drawing power from that distribution system. All of the traction power substation and tiebreakers are for all practical purposes complete. Third rail cable connections are done to the west end of the west yard leads.

Reston Town Center north entrance pavilion has its glazing in place and the sheet medal roofs installed. Grading for the bus terminal roadway and walkways has not been done. It appears that a contract has been let, presumably by others, to construct a pedestrian bridge that will cross from the entrance pavilion to north side of Sunset Hill Road. South entrance pavilion has yet to have its glazing placed and the sheet medal roofs installed. Grading partially complete for the bus terminal roadway and walkways adjacent to the entrance pavilion.

Herndon north entrance pavilion has yet to have its glazing placed and the sheet medal roofs installed. No grading has been done for the walkways the will access the entrance from Herndon Parkway. South entrance pavilion has some of glazing in place and the sheet medal roofs at yet to be installed. The elevator and stair structure that will directly connect the existing garage entrance pavilion only lacks the roof panel and the pedestrian bridge between has not been set.

Innovation Center north lacks its sheet medal roof on the entrance canopy at the opening the grade level pedestrian bridge. The bus terminal roadway is complete. Some of the walkways have been place at the west end and grading is done for the remainder. South entrance pavilion has its sheet medal roof and some of the glazing is in place. The bus terminal roadway is in place as mentioned in previews post. Grading for the walkways adjacent to the entrance pavilion had not been done. The contractor building the garage has begun to correct the issues involving the premature settling of the columns by placing large spread footing at their base. Walkway have been placed along the new eastbound Sunrise Valley Road roadway that has not been opened to traffic.

Dulles Airport entrance security gate is in place in the now open garage 1 pedestrian tunnel. Opposite of the entrance is another security gate that the fare vendors will be located at. Glazing between the underside of the elevated and the walls surrounding the mezzanine have been placed. Grates that will control the convection are flow between top of the glazing and the underside of the elevated is partly complete. Shelters on the platform are partly complete. Station name signage along the parapet wall opposite the platform edges has been placed. The concrete walls enclosing the ancillary areas under the elevated and at platform level will be covered with vertical seamed sheet metal siding that is use on existing airport authority service and ancillary buildings on the airport property.

Loudoun Gateway lacks its sheet medal roof on the entrance pavilion and has yet to have its glazing placed. The garage is structurally complete. There has been no grading done for the station access roadways, bus terminal an walkways.

Ashburn both north and south entrance pavilions lacks their sheet medal roofs and no glazing has been placed. The mezzanine canopy also lacks its sheet medal roof. Grading has been done and curbs have been placed in the east half of the north bus terminal. Grading has been done and curbs have been placed in the station access roadway to halfway around the curve the west half of the bus terminal, As mentioned before the bus terminal at the south bus terminal is complete. No walkways are in place at either the north or south bus terminals or entrance pavilions.

Dulles Yard has all of the track work done. The signaling system installation is well under way. Most if not all of the roadways and parking lots are done. Installation of the security fence around the yard is mostly complete. Installation of the access gates and gate houses has not been done.

Pictures at my Flicker Photo Stream DCMP 12 09 2018 album.
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  #1243  
Old Posted Dec 19, 2018, 12:30 AM
jmecklenborg jmecklenborg is offline
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Thanks for the post.

What will be the transit time from Dulles to the district + expected ridership jump on the silver line after this extension opens?
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  #1244  
Old Posted Dec 19, 2018, 1:35 AM
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jmecklenborg;8413373
Thanks for the post.

You are welcome

What will be the transit time from Dulles to the district + expected ridership jump on the silver line after this extension opens?

Dulles Airport - Metro Center 52 minutes.

The existing segment is doing about 10,000 a day down from a peak of just over 15,000. Me thinks when things mature it will be something in the neighborhood 40,000 +.
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  #1245  
Old Posted Jan 25, 2019, 1:12 AM
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Union Station

Union Station prepares for a concourse makeover


Construction to modernize Union Station’s concourse is expected to begin in fall 2019 to double capacity, upgrade connectivity and enhance amenities. The area used by thousands of intercity and commuter train passengers would be brightened with natural light. (KGP Design Studio/Grimshaw)
By Luz Lazo

By Luz Lazo
Washington Post
January 12, 2019

"The concourse at Washington’s Union Station will undergo a makeover beginning in the fall, a project that will double its capacity, relieve crowding and make for a more accessible and comfortable customer experience, Amtrak says.

In addition to providing a modern and brighter space for the 100,000 daily intercity, commuter and local travelers who pass through Union Station, the work also will improve access between Amtrak’s concourse and the mezzanine of the Metro station there.

“We will increase capacity, circulation and accessibility,” Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...=.26290879ed0c
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  #1246  
Old Posted Jan 25, 2019, 4:00 AM
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Originally Posted by jmecklenborg View Post
No they don't. Real estate interests push and push against infrastructure projects of all types. Washington, DC is unique in that the government is the main employer, and as such, construction of the Metro system in the district was minimally controversial.

Many mid-sized U.S. cities are still lorded over by blue blood families who control real estate values through political connections at the local, state, and national level. These people literally put their henchmen in office for the purpose of creating a moat around their business interests, which include real estate. Those forces weren't at play in Washington, DC in the 1960s when Metro was planned.

In other cities, the places where subways could most economically be built didn't coincide with the long game played by the blue bloods, and so public transportation improvements had to be smeared. Its supporters were feminized. The up-front costs were emphasized. Transit is always "subsidized", whereas money-losing expressways and garages are an "investment".

Power is sources in a mastery of emotions, not facts. The nerd knows the facts, but he has no power.

The costs of road and highway construction is not limited to the roadways themselves. A rail system's capital costs necessarily include the rail vehicles themselves, so a mile of highway does not equal a mile of rail transit. Meanwhile, the owner of a automobile often naively pays $10+ per day in depreciation. The underground public parking garages built in my city in the past ten years have averaged $40,000 per space. Each car commuter that switches over to the bus or rail is a structured parking space that doesn't need to be built.
Great summary!
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  #1247  
Old Posted Jan 27, 2019, 3:45 PM
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Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist View Post
Union Station prepares for a concourse makeover
Great news, the current concourse and boarding experience is dismal.


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  #1248  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2019, 11:25 AM
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RCDC— you don’t like to hang out with the pigeons?

The front half of Union Station is a beautiful, grand, structure but the passenger concourse area is a bit of a dump.
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  #1249  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2019, 3:52 PM
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Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist View Post
RCDC— you don’t like to hang out with the pigeons?

The front half of Union Station is a beautiful, grand, structure but the passenger concourse area is a bit of a dump.
The aesthetic is somewhere around 1980's Greyhound station.
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  #1250  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2019, 5:54 PM
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RCDC— you don’t like to hang out with the pigeons?

The front half of Union Station is a beautiful, grand, structure but the passenger concourse area is a bit of a dump.
Yeah, but the pigeons give that authentic urban "grit" that many romanticize... Behind the wall are halls and spaces to navigate through, glad that's going away. I hope WMATA steps up and improves the metro station. In addition to refurbishing, the north gate is bottleneck mess, they need a much more open entrance from 1st St. NE at the very least.
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  #1251  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2019, 9:30 PM
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Frederick Douglass bridge replacement

There has been significant progress on the Frederick Douglass bridge replacement project, which connects Buzzard Point and the Capitol Riverfront/Navy Yard with Anacostia. Here are some photos from the project's Twitter feed.







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  #1252  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2019, 10:54 PM
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Purple Line to Tysons

Greater Greater Washington has an interesting post today examining possibly extending the Purple line from its future terminus in Bethesda to Tysons.

The best way to build a Purple Line link between Bethesda and Tysons Corner

By DW Rowlands
March 1, 2019
Greater Greater Washington

"Although the Purple Line between Bethesda and New Carrollton isn't expected to open until late 2022, transit advocates frequently talk about the possibility of extending it. The Purple Line is the area's first major circumferential transit project, and it is expected to have high ridership. It also connects to a series of densely-spaced job centers and residential areas, and extensions would benefit from through-running to these areas.

The most common proposed extension for the Purple Line is from Bethesda to Tysons Corner. Intuitively, this is the most obvious target for an extension: Tysons has the largest concentration of jobs in the region outside of downtown DC by a factor of two, making it a major commuting destination. While the Silver Line connects it to downtown DC and to Reston, a circumferential connection would make it more transit-accessible to suburban commuters..."

https://ggwash.org/view/71112/the-wa...-tysons-corner
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  #1253  
Old Posted Jul 17, 2019, 5:54 PM
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WMATA parking facilities

This is an excellent idea but it is surprising that WMATA has taken so long to do this.

Metro proposal would add solar parks at four stations, providing clean energy and generating new revenue to support transit


Image courtesy of WMATA.

"Solar panels capable of powering 1,500 homes will soon be installed at four Metro-owned facilities. In a request for proposals (RFP) issued today, Metro is offering a 15-year solar ground lease to develop and operate solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems on surface and rooftop parking lots at Anacostia, Cheverly, Naylor Road and Southern Avenue stations.

“Offering these Metro-owned sites for use as solar power stations will advance Metro’s commitment to sustainability while generating new revenue to support transit services and keep fares affordable,” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Wiedefeld.

The solar panels will be owned, operated, installed and maintained by a solar energy provider at no cost to Metro or taxpayers..."

https://www.wmata.com/about/news/Solar-Power-RFP.cfm
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  #1254  
Old Posted Jul 17, 2019, 6:37 PM
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This is an excellent idea but it is surprising that WMATA has taken so long to do this.
Really?

The agency that for decades had rain and snow falling onto open escalators and until recently realized maybe stations that are as dim as the back of your closet should have just a little more lighting?
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  #1255  
Old Posted Jul 17, 2019, 9:21 PM
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Really?

The agency that for decades had rain and snow falling onto open escalators and until recently realized maybe stations that are as dim as the back of your closet should have just a little more lighting?
I'm surprised that you, as a designer (I think), have such little patience for the finer points of Harry Weese's vision.

The dim lighting is magical, reminds me of various beautiful subterranean spaces I saw in Europe. It probably wasn't comfortable for reading a book, but that was never the goal... perfectly adequate for a subway platform so long as it has open sight lines.

As for the open escalator portals, I think Weese didn't want to detract from the architecture of the city by adding more clutter to the streetscape. Some places, like the Smithsonian stop, have escalators directly on the mall... a canopy there would literally ruin one of the world's great urban vistas.
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  #1256  
Old Posted Jul 18, 2019, 2:51 AM
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I'm surprised that you, as a designer (I think), have such little patience for the finer points of Harry Weese's vision.

The dim lighting is magical, reminds me of various beautiful subterranean spaces I saw in Europe. It probably wasn't comfortable for reading a book, but that was never the goal... perfectly adequate for a subway platform so long as it has open sight lines.

As for the open escalator portals, I think Weese didn't want to detract from the architecture of the city by adding more clutter to the streetscape. Some places, like the Smithsonian stop, have escalators directly on the mall... a canopy there would literally ruin one of the world's great urban vistas.

Let me clarify a bit. Yes I am and do work in the field of design, though I am not an architect. Regarding the lighting and the "genius" of Harry Weese, I am slightly more agnostic about the architecture of the Metro than many including yourself. I personally, emphasis on personally, admire many aspects and of the system, including it's one off quirks not shared by any other world system. The floor blinkers are lots of fun and one of my earliest memories when I first visited DC when I was 6 years old. The lighting issue is highly subjective I suppose. I do personally enjoy the low light of many of the s-t stations. I do find them peaceful and quite a gesture of civility to entrust the public with an arrangement that one could claim might encourage crime. That being said, one has to acknowledge how out of step such low light stations are with other contemporary systems. All I was saying was it is surprising it has taken Metro as long as it has to brighten some of the ambient lighting, good or bad. I understand the issue of the portals, and the Mall portals are good examples of ones that should avoid above ground canopies and weatherproof in other ways. The point I was making had more to do with the fact that Metro knew the weather wreaked havoc with the escalators and increased maintenance costs but didn't propose building shelter over them for like 25 years.

I'm pretty tired, the "whether Harry Weese is an all knowing genius" conversation might have to wait for another time. I like much of his work, but I also think in retrospect he's been regarded as an "it" designer and I don't think some of his work really deserves the level of regard they receive. Here's looking at you 17CCS.
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  #1257  
Old Posted Jul 18, 2019, 6:05 AM
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New station addition is very bland, looks like a cheap airport. At least its better than the greyhound terminal out back right now. No character though, just another terminal concourse.

Last edited by urbanview; Jul 18, 2019 at 9:08 AM.
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  #1258  
Old Posted Jul 18, 2019, 3:04 PM
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The dim lighting is magical, reminds me of various beautiful subterranean spaces I saw in Europe. It probably wasn't comfortable for reading a book, but that was never the goal... perfectly adequate for a subway platform so long as it has open sight lines.
The dim lighting might be magical but it is also a very real public safety concern. Many people, especially women, won't ride metro at night because of the extremely poor lighting in many of the stations. We have an infant son and the lighting is even worse in the parts of the stations adjacent to the elevators.

To paraphrase someone from Amtrak who was quoted in a recent Wall Street Journal article, WMATA is responsible for operating a modern, efficient, transit system, not a museum. When the lack of light in the stations drives passengers away to passenger vehicles, this is a legitimate issue.

Additionally, there is no reason the newer stations that have no historical significance like Wiehle Ave or New Carrollton can't be well-lit.
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  #1259  
Old Posted Jul 18, 2019, 4:47 PM
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The dim lighting might be magical but it is also a very real public safety concern. Many people, especially women, won't ride metro at night because of the extremely poor lighting in many of the stations. We have an infant son and the lighting is even worse in the parts of the stations adjacent to the elevators.

To paraphrase someone from Amtrak who was quoted in a recent Wall Street Journal article, WMATA is responsible for operating a modern, efficient, transit system, not a museum. When the lack of light in the stations drives passengers away to passenger vehicles, this is a legitimate issue.

Additionally, there is no reason the newer stations that have no historical significance like Wiehle Ave or New Carrollton can't be well-lit.
But is there actually a safety issue in the stations that can be shown empirically, or is it just that people assume dim = crime? As I mentioned above, the stations do far more than any other American transit system, architecturally, to create defensible space - full faregate control, clear sightlines from the attendant booth to almost every part of the station, wide corridors, radiused corners, etc. Has crime decreased around the stations that now have brighter lighting?

Also, violent crime in Washington generally is at or near 30-year lows, and the Metro's ridership is at or near all-time highs, hurt only by reliability issues.... it would seem the lighting issue, if there is one, is a mere footnote in the overall trends driving both crime and ridership...
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