Site work and new construction of a mixed-use development in Manassas, Virginia. Completed plans call for the construction of a transportation facility.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/flatiron-skanska-virginia-rail-vpra/702334/ The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority has selected two joint ventures -- each featuring Flatiron -- for major projects to transform railways in the state, the organization announced last week. Long Bridge A Skanska/Flatiron JV won the North Package of the Long Bridge project, which spans the Potomac River to connect Arlington, Virginia, with Washington, D.C. Combined with the South Package, the cost of the project is budgeted at $2.3 billion. A VPRA spokesperson told Construction Dive the agency has yet to determine a dollar breakdown between the two packages. Long Bridge's North Package is nearly a third of the way through the design process. Sweden-based Skanska and Broomfield, Colorado-based Flatiron will tackle the project with a progressive design-build delivery method. Prep work is expected in 2024, with full construction work beginning in 2025 and completion in 2030. The current Long Bridge is 119 years old and operates at 98% capacity at peak periods, according to VPRA. The full Long Bridge Project includes two procurement packages to construct an updated, two-track railroad bridge, separating passenger and freight traffic and improving trip times, according to the VPRA. The North Package consists of bridges north of the Potomac, while the South Package will include the bridge over the Potomac and an adjacent bicycle-pedestrian bridge. Work won by the Skanska/Flatiron JV will consist of several smaller bridges, including a new rail bridge over the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority Portal and I-395, replacing three two-track bridges with four track bridges, and constructing a new pedestrian bridge. The South Package remains in the procurement process. VPRA will release a short list of teams in February 2024. _______________________________________ The Long Bridge corridor is a vital link connecting the local, regional, and national transportation networks, and the project is critical to ensuring that the Long Bridge corridor can meet future rail needs. Current service along the corridor does not provide sufficient capacity and redundancy to meet projected future demand for railroad services in the region. The overall Long Bridge project will add capacity to a busy rail travel corridor through construction of a modern rail bridge from Washington, D.C. into Virginia. The corridor is a 1.8-mile railroad corridor between Rosslyn (RO) interlocking in Arlington, Virginia and L'Enfant (LE) Interlocking near 10th Street SW in the District of Columbia. The primary component of the Long Bridge project is a new two-track bridge upstream of the existing Long Bridge. The existing bridge will be retained to create a four-track crossing. The Long Bridge project additionally consists of environmental mitigation measures including a new bikepedestrian shared use path across the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Potomac River. Request for Clarifications Due April 10, 2023 Shortlist Announced June 21, 2023 Release of RFP July 7, 2023 Proposals Due September 15, 2023 Announcement of Preferred Proposer October 20, 2023 Execution of Progressive Design-Build Agreement December 2023 NTP for Phase 1 Services December 2023 Start of Construction (other than Early Work) Q1 2025 Substantial Completion of Construction 2030 Throughout the month of March and into early April, Friends of the Mount Vernon trail were seeking comments on the plan for the bicycle and pedestrian aspect of the Long Bridge railroad project across the Potomac River. Their comment period went on throughout the month of March and ends on April 10 where the design of the pedestrian bridge will be looked at again. The Friends group wanted a wider bridge with spots to let people pause, whether its to tie a shoe or rest, but the final comment is open for a few more days. We likely wont know results for several months until NVRPA has their next round of engagement sessions, FOMV said. "Please widen the bike/ped span to 24 feet in as many areas as possible to create space where people can pull to the side & pause," they indicated in the comment section. This is just one part of modifications to the Long Bridge railroad venue across the Potomac River. The whole $1.9 billion project will include additional railroad tracks creating a four-track corridor, eight rail bridges and related railroad infrastructure improvements between Arlington and Washington. According to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, a new bike-pedestrian bridge also will be constructed as part of the mitigation to National Park Service parkland and will span the Potomac River and George Washington Memorial Parkway, connecting Long Bridge Park directly to East and West Potomac Parks. According to Karina Romero, Communications Manager at the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, the plan has been modified for the pedestrian-bicycle bridge. In Fall 2022, VPRA widened the width of the proposed bicycle-pedestrian bridge from 14 feet to 16 feet based on feedback from the community. This wider width will provide a more comfortable user experience. The current 16-foot width - which is more than double the width on the existing 14th Street ped-bike bridge over the Potomac - exceeds DDOT and AASHTO minimum standards needed for bicyclists to pass each other. According to AASHTO standards, the 16-foot bridge width will accommodate two bicyclists riding abreast with space to comfortably pass a pedestrian or someone stopped on the bridge. In addition, the 42-foot trail radius at the connection points at each end of the bridge meets the turning radius of an emergency vehicle and exceeds that of various large bicycle types for the design speed. The bridge can structurally accommodate a 20,000 pound emergency vehicle. The design meets Americans with Disabilities Act code (ADA) requirements, Romero said. Currently the project is in the preliminary engineering phase, and is scheduled to be completed in 2030, the VPRA information said.