I had the chance to eyeball almost all of Phase II Silver Line construction last week, and the progress up through IAD is impressive. The only pedestrian bridge remaining to place was a short segment north of the Toll Road for the Herndon-Monroe station, it looks like tracks and third rail run all the way from the existing terminus through the airport, they have distance signs up on the fencing showing the exact feet to the next and previous station, and they're hanging glass walls at the IAD station, as you can see below. But the station plaza areas did not appear to have gotten much past the land-grading stage.
The Loudoun Gateway station west of IAD looked complete, including its pedestrian bridge, but it looked like a lot of trackwork remained. I didn't get a good look at the Ashburn station, the last one on the line.
Meanwhile,
this week's MWAA board of directors meeting features
yet another update on Phase II progress. Estimated "substantial completion" date for the line and stations, aka Package A, remains Aug. 7, 2019, even after testing and replacement of some suspect concrete panels; the Dulles Yard, Package B + S, continues to feature a Dec. 23, 2018 substantial-completion date. But
minutes from last month's meeting suggest that second estimate is no longer valid, even if that won't hold up opening the line: If I read that correctly, the yard's now set to be done Feb. 21, 2019, but that won't stop the line from being "tested and operated without the yard being completed." I suppose the actual meeting Wednesday will further clarify that and the faulty-panels issue.
