Dulles Corridor Metrorail

Kimley-Horn has been providing owner program management support services to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) for the extension of the Orange Line Metrorail. This project is one of the largest transit infrastructure projects in the United States and includes 11 stations, a new rail service and inspection yard, ancillary facilities, utility relocations, roadway improvements, and pedestrian facilities.

Known as the Silver Line, this is a 23-mile heavy rail extension of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) system through Tysons Corner, Virginia, to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County. The project was constructed in two phases, split into equal segments of approximately 11.5 miles. Phase 1 stretches from just west of the Orange line East Falls Church Station to the Wiehle-Reston East Station in Reston, Virginia, which commenced revenue operations in August 2014. Phase 2 extends from the Wiehle-Reston East Station in Reston, Virginia, through Dulles Airport to Route 772 Station in Loudoun County, which opened for service in November 2022.

Providing a Variety of Services

Kimley-Horn has played a key part for both phases of the Silver Line extension since 2008. We have provided management and oversight of civil, roadway, track, alignment/trackwork, and parking garage design; coordination with stakeholders, agencies, jurisdictions, and adjacent development; public outreach and management; and review of environmental and permit/regulatory approval documentation.

Specifically, we managed the completion of the permit management plan, outlining what permits needed to be acquired and what entity would acquire them. After the plan was finalized, we oversaw each consultant’s steps in acquiring the necessary permits. Additional services provided included:

• Performed design reviews of both the preliminary engineering and final design station, structural (parking garages), track, rail yard, and civil design plans (grading and drainage, roadway, station site, utility, and property ID plans).
• Managed the production of the environmental assessment, from responding to public and agency comments to extensive coordination with the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Aviation Administration.
• Assisted MWAA in establishing agreements with each agency and county regarding design impacts. Our staff is responsible for presenting design plans to the necessary entities and gaining approvals to fund the project for design and construction.
• Coordinated with property owners and assisted in negotiations with adjacent property owners during Phase 1.
• Helped create notices of availability and advertisements for the public hearing to present the environmental assessment. After staffing the public hearing, preparing the graphics, and responding to public comments, Kimley-Horn staff wrote the public hearing and responded to agency and stakeholder comments.