D.C.: What's Delaying the Silver Line? Pull Up a Chair.

What's Delaying the Silver Line? Pull Up a Chair.

Thursday, March 20, 2014 - 02:02 PM
By MARTIN DICARO : WAMU


[font size="1"]A Silver Line station (Fairfax County/flickr)[/font]


In their most revealing remarks to date about the problems delaying the completion of the Silver Line Metrorail project through Tysons Corner, officials at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) detailed time-consuming mistakes made by the contracting team led by the construction and engineering firm Bechtel, known as Dulles Transit Partners (DTP).

From speakers that have to be torn out to communications cables that do not work to wayside computer units that have to be replaced entirely along the 11-mile length of the $3 billion rail system, project leaders vented their frustrations about seemingly avoidable errors at the monthly meeting of MWAA’s board of directors. And to the question the D.C. region is asking – when will the Silver Line be ready? – officials could only provide a familiar answer: they do not know.

“I can’t give you a time because I don’t have one right now,” said Pat Nowakowski, the project’s executive director, who stressed progress has been made toward resolving outstanding problems during daily meetings with Bechtel and WMATA.

Progress, but no resolution, as a soft deadline of April 9 looms. That is when MWAA can begin fining Bechtel — as per the terms of their contract — $25,000 per day if the Silver Line has not been submitted by the contractor for “substantial completion.” Bechtel believes April 9 is subject to change because it has been given additional work outside the original scope of its project.

“This is just a far cry from where we were six months ago when everyone was saying we would get this thing in January, then February, then March for an opening,” said MWAA board member Tom Davis. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.wnyc.org/story/whats-delaying-silver-line-pull-chair/