Virginia seeks project manager for Atlantic Gateway
Written by Railway Age Staff
Virginia is seeking a consultant to manage the rail portion of its $1.4 billion Atlantic Gateway multimodal project connecting Washington and Fredericksburg, Va.
The state’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) issued a formal Request for Proposal seeking a single entity to manage construction of the first of four components of the rail portion of the Atlantic Gateway, aimed at easing freight and passenger bottlenecks and congestion along the busy I-95 corridor.
The RFP covers Program Management, Project Management and Engineering/Design Oversight Support services. It does not include three project components related to highway construction along I-395 and I-95.
The Atlantic Gateway is seen as a key corridor to improving mobility across the Eastern seaboard. Virginia has already obtained a $165 million federal FASTLANE grant to go with the project’s public and private funding. Partnering on the project are the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Virginia Department of Transportation, CSX, and private toll road operator Transurban Ltd. of Australia.
The rail improvements alone are worth a reported $500 million.
The rail and infrastructure component comprises five separate elements designed to increase passenger capacity for Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak, and lay the groundwork for the Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) line.
The project covers:
- Construction of six miles of a fourth main line, and the Long Bridge, from the south bank of the Potomac River to Alexandria. The construction will add capacity to the state’s most heavily used line for VRE and Amtrak, and is also planned to accommodate the Southeast High Speed Rail and expanded intermodal and freight rail service.
- The dedication by CSX of the abandoned S-Line rail route between Petersburg and the North Carolina state line to Virginia, an integral part of Southeast High Speed Rail.
- Construction of eight miles of new third main line on CSX’s freight corridor between the Franconia/Springfield VRE station to the Occoquan River in Fairfax County. These improvements will also allow for additional VRE trains to use the corridor and ultimately accommodate the high speed rail and expanded intermodal and freight rail service.
- Design and engineering to accelerate the permitting and ultimate construction of the full Long Bridge project.
- Design and installation of two crossovers south of Fredericksburg in Caroline County. These crossovers will increase the flexibility for Amtrak trains to meet and pass freight traffic and ultimately accommodate high speed rail and expanded intermodal and freight rail service.
A mandatory pre-proposal conference for the RFP will be held Feb. 13 at 10:30 a.m. at the Main Street Center Building, 600 E. Main Street, 12th Floor, North Conference Room, Richmond, Va.
