Contractor Chosen For Potomac Yard Metro Construction

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and City of Alexandria have chosen Potomac Yard Constructors as the construction contractor for the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station.

The new $213.7 million construction contract is part of the $320 million project budget to build the station. Other funding will come from business development in Potomac Yard over the next 40 years, regional transportation authority grants and developer contributions.

“The selection of a contractor brings us one major step closer to making this long-standing goal a reality," said City Manager Mark Jinks in a news release. "The new station will improve neighborhood walkability and transit options while reducing traffic congestion. We look forward to working with the community in the coming months to finalize the details of the station design."

The city will need to approve an amendment for the station's design changes, which includes the elimination of the south entrance and improved access from the south to the station's north entrance. According to the development special use permit, there will be pedestrian access from Potomac Avenue at East Glebe Road connecting to the north pedestrian bridge.

The decision to eliminate the south entrance at East Glebe Road had been announced to the public in May. Alexandria officials learned about the changes last summer and signed a confidentiality agreement with Metro to bar them from discussing the changes with the public. But residents and businesses that were banking on being near the south entrance expressed outrage for the city not discussing the changes with the public earlier. There are no changes to the north entrance next to the Potomac Yard shopping center.

A city memo announcing the changes in May stated that adding the south station entrance would delay the station opening by a year and add $40 million to $60 million or more to the current $320 million cost.

Construction of the station is expected to start in spring 2019 and end in late 2021 or early 2022.

Image via City of Alexandria