DOT Approves Virginia Rail Transit Spur

On January 7, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters approved a $900-million rail transit spur in northern Virginia as part of a multi-year federal funding commitment towards the project's $2.6-billion first phase. The $900 million would help finance an 11.6-mile first stage of a planned 23-mile extension of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's Orange Line. The proposed "full funding grant agreement" goes to Congress for a 60-day review.

The project is being managed by the Metropolitan Washington Area Airports Authority, which has awarded a $1.6-billion design-build contract for phase one to San Francisco-based Bechtel Infrastructure Corp. and the Washington Division of URS Corp., San Francisco.