JV wins US$414m contract for US rail bypass

Render of the Franconia-Springfield rail bypass. Image courtesy FlatironDragados

Awarded by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), the project includes 1.4 miles of new passenger track and a 0.6-mile flyover bridge over commercial freight lines.

The bypass is designed to separate passenger and freight traffic at one of the state’s most congested rail points.

The US-based JV will work in coordination with VPRA, CSXT, Amtrak, Virginia Railway Express, and other oversight agencies.

Construction is set to begin this month, with completion scheduled for 2029.

The contract adds to FlatironDragados’s position in the US Mid-Atlantic region, which also includes the $4.3 billion Hampton Roads Bridge & Tunnel Expansion Project, the $1 billion Long Bridge North project with Skanska, the Susquehanna River Bridge project for Amtrak, and the $421 million I-95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension.

Construction approach to limit environmental disruption

With the bypass passing through a constrained and environmentally sensitive corridor, the JV said it will use a series of low-impact construction methods to reduce disruption to nearby communities and natural features.

These include jack-and-bore techniques for culvert installation beneath active rail, beam-launching system to install bridge spans with minimal ground disturbance, underground stormwater systems to limit surface runoff, and dewatering strategies designed for tight rights-of-way.

Together, these methods are said to help reduce noise, vibration, and ecological impact during the multiyear build.

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