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  #1041  
Old Posted Sep 26, 2014, 6:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Cirrus View Post
Downtown DC and Chicago are pretty close. It's hard to know exactly which is bigger because typically office market tracking companies only track leasable space, and ignore owner-occupied space. However, DC almost certainly has a lot more owner-occupied space than Chicago because of all the government offices, so while I can't prove it (and have absolutely no idea about outside the US), I suspect it's probably true that downtown DC is bigger than downtown Chicago.
That's the logic that I was working from. (You'd think LEHD would make it easy to calculate this, but no, not really.) Most, but not all, major office surveys place DC behind Chicago (2nd quarter 2014 reports):
CB Richard Ellis: DC 125 MSF | Chicago 126 MSF
Colliers: 144 MSF rentable (excl gov't) | 142 MSF rentable (158 MSF incl o/o)
Cushman & Wakefield: 108 MSF | 126 MSF
Jones Lang LaSalle: 115 MSF | 134 MSF

Those give us a range of -19 to +2. (So what's the real number? Cassidy Turley probably has the most thorough DC database, and they say 123 MSF of competitive rentable space, but they don't do a Chicago CBD report. Dunno who's most accurate there.)

But as Dan points out, it's the owner-occupied space that gives DC the edge. NCPC/GSA reported 70 MSF of federally owned buildings in 2003 within the District; they don't specify what percentage is downtown office, but regardless, that's a lot. Then there are other large owners, like GWU with 8.5 MSF, the IMF + World Bank with 5 MSF, plus 152 owned embassies, DC government, museums, and NGOs (I try not to think about all those Koch Bros "institutes"). Chicago has some large owner-occupiers downtown, but that odd Colliers figure above hints at the relatively minor scale: Federal Center is 3.1 MSF, DePaul has 1.7 MSF.

I think it's pretty safe to say that central DC has surpassed the Loop in *office* inventory, and thus employment, presuming that all these folks are not paying $50/foot to house dust bunnies. Yet add in industrial and retail, and many more people probably report to work in central Chicago.

As for outside the US, these three cities absolutely dwarf every other city in the Americas. Per CB, Toronto has 81 MSF in downtown & midtown, Mexico City has 31 MSF downtown, and Colliers puts the entire Sao Paulo market at 43 MSF.

Regardless, the point was: "Numerous CBDs," sure, but "small"? The Silver Line connects the colossal CBD, to merely giant Tysons, via the huge Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Imagine a one-seat, 27-minute train ride that took you from Chicago, through Charlotte, to Portland. Or one that linked Chicago to (combining Tysons + R-B) Atlanta or Seattle. That's the scale of the CBDs we're talking about here.
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Last edited by paytonc; Sep 26, 2014 at 6:24 AM.
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  #1042  
Old Posted Sep 26, 2014, 1:20 PM
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Cool, this is more detail than I could have hoped for. Honestly, though, isn't total employment a better measure of CBD size than total square footage - at least for a discussion of transit? Retail has far more space per employee than a tech firm, but shop clerks take up the same space on the Metro that coders do. Even within office, there are pretty big disparities depending on the industry and the age of the buildout.
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  #1043  
Old Posted Sep 29, 2014, 2:14 PM
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Originally Posted by cambron J View Post
Eveningsong
Does the city want small numerous CBD throughout the region?


Tysons Corner is no small business district, it has more commercial square footage then downtown Boston Massachusetts.
This is empirically false unless you're cherrypicking statistics.
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  #1044  
Old Posted Oct 4, 2014, 1:46 PM
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WMATA: Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project progress update e-mail 10 03 2014

Columns for Guideways Going Up at Dulles as Crews Prepare to Widen Saarinen Circle for Airport Station


Crews prepare to pour concrete into an aerial guideway column.
Photo by Capital Rail Constructors

Phase 2 rail construction crews are making significant progress, primarily at Dulles Airport.

Trees have been removed along Autopilot Drive (near the car rental agencies) to clear the way for the aerial guideway that will carry the overhead tracks. Trees along Saarinen Circle have been relocated in preparation for construction of the Dulles Airport Station in front of Parking Garage 1. And, utilities relocations are well underway.

Aerial Guideway Work: Construction of the piers to support the guideway is clearly visible with more than 36 drilled shaft foundations in place, to date. Crews have installed 15 columns and five caps, creating structures that resemble large mushrooms. The work has now moved out onto Autopilot Drive.

A roadway is being built through the undeveloped north end of the Airport to accommodate the heavy construction equipment necessary to construct the guideway out onto the Dulles Greenway.


Trees removed from the Dulles Station site will be replanted in other locations at the airport.
Photo by Capital Rail Constructors

Dulles Airport Station: Crews are preparing to realign Saarinen Circle, near Parking Garage 1, to make room for the start of mass excavation for the Dulles Airport Station. In addition, work on water and sewer lines for the station require the temporary relocation of Shuttle Bus stops in front of the garage. The underground walkway that connects Parking Garage 1 to the terminal will remain open for business while this work is underway.

Other Stations: Preliminary work to prepare the Innovation Center and Herndon station sites for construction are scheduled to begin in October and November, respectively.

Horsepen Bridge Area: Shoulder and temporary lane closures are scheduled to begin on the Dulles International Airport Access Highway (DIAAH) in October to facilitate construction of an in-line bridge that will cross Horsepen Run in the median of the highway (just west of Route 28). Details will be released as the dates of the work are set.

According to Capital Rail Constructors, the design-build contractor for the stations, tracks and systems of Phase 2, there have been more than 650,000 man hours recorded thus far with no recordable safety or environmental incidents.

Airports Authority Names Charles Stark New Chief of Dulles Metrorail Project

Charles W. Stark has been selected as the new executive director of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, overseeing construction of the 11.4-mile Phase 2 extension of the Metro Silver Line from Reston, Virginia, through Washington Dulles International Airport to Ashburn in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Stark succeeds Pat Nowakowski, who resigned earlier this year to become president of the Long Island Railroad in New York.

"The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is fortunate to have someone of Charles Stark's broad experience in transit construction and engineering in this position as we complete the Silver Line project," said Airports Authority President and CEO Jack Potter. "He will be instrumental in achieving our goal of providing top-quality transportation infrastructure for the National Capital region."

Phase 1 of the Silver Line began passenger service on July 26, extending the Washington area's Metrorail public transit system into Tysons and Reston.

Silver Line Ridership Ahead of Projections

Less than two months after opening, the Silver Line is already performing at 60 percent of the ridership that was projected for the end of the first full year of service. An average of 15,000 riders are entering the system at the five new Silver Line stations on weekdays for a combined 30,000 trips to or from the new stations, Metro says.

Silver Line ridership had been projected to reach 25,000 boardings at the five new stations after one full year of service.

Metro estimates that the Silver Line is currently adding approximately 6,000 new riders -- making roughly 12,000 trips -- to the Metrorail system each weekday. The balance, approximately 9,000 riders, are primarily former Orange Line riders who have switched to the Silver Line.

Wiehle-Reston East remains the Silver Line's commuting powerhouse, having already surpassed first-year ridership projections with 8,400 boardings, or 16,800 weekday entries and exits. With convenient bus transfers, a secure bike room and a large parking garage, Wiehle-Reston East's commuters make up around half the line's ridership.

Tysons Corner Station is one of the few stations on the Metrorail system where ridership is higher on Saturday than regular weekdays. The station is the second busiest new station on weekdays with about 5,300 entries and exits, but Saturday ridership has been even higher. On Sept. 20, Metro reported 7,449 entries and exits at the station.


The Greensboro Station is located in the median of Route 7 in Tysons Corner.
Photo by Larry Levine, WMATA

Rail Yard Contract Goes to Hensel Phelps

Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Chantilly has been awarded the contract to design and build the rail yard and maintenance facility for Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, known as the Silver Line.

Hensel Phelps' $252,989,000 price proposal was determined to meet all necessary requirements and was the lowest of the four received by the Airports Authority.

Package B, the design-build contract for the rail yard and maintenance facility, is the second and final major contract for Phase 2 of the Silver Line Project. Package A, which includes the construction of six stations, 11.4 miles of track and guideways and wayside components, was awarded in May 2013 to Capital Rail Constructors, a team consisting of Clark Construction Group and Kiewit Infrastructure South Co.

$1.28 Billion TIFIA Loan to Help Hold Tolls at Current Levels for Now

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has closed on a $1.28 billion low-interest U.S. Department of Transportation 'Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act' (TIFIA) loan for the portion of Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project funded by revenue from the Dulles Toll Road.

The Airports Authority applied for the TIFIA loan in conjunction with its local partners on the Metrorail Project, Fairfax County and Loudoun County, which are finalizing their segments of the loan.

The closing was the culmination of a months-long team effort and represents $1.28 billion of support for users of the Dulles Toll Road, whose toll payments help fund construction of the Silver Line extension of the Washington region's Metrorail public transit system.

"The Airports Authority and our project partners made securing a low-interest TIFIA loan a top priority, because of the financial benefits it offered to the Dulles Toll Road users and taxpayers. Thanks to the favorable interest rates the loan provides, as well as the financial commitment from the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Airports Authority will be able to hold tolls at current levels through 2018 and limit future toll increases," the Authority said.

###

Link to PDF version not yet posted at Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project web site.

Couple comments:

I think MWAA got a pretty good deal on the Dulles Yard contract. The Branch Avenue Yard Cost WMATA roughly two third less back in 1999, Dulles Yard will be four time larger in storage capacity, 6 times time larger servicing capacity, have a heavy repair shop and paint shop to name just a few facilities there.

Larry Levine, the photographer that took the picture of the Greenboro station has been employed by WMATA sense the 1980s.
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  #1045  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2014, 6:50 AM
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The terminal seems mighty far from the station.
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  #1046  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2014, 1:08 PM
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aquablue
The terminal seems mighty far from the station.


This issue has been argued to death.

The vast majority of the parking at Dulles Airport for both employes and flyers is further away from the terminal then the location of the Metrorail station. Access from the Metrorail station to the main terminal will utilize the existing pedestrian tunnel that connects Garage 1 to the main terminal. The pedestrian tunnel has a moving walkway in it.
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  #1047  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2014, 3:08 PM
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Originally Posted by cambron J View Post
aquablue
The terminal seems mighty far from the station.


This issue has been argued to death.

The vast majority of the parking at Dulles Airport for both employes and flyers is further away from the terminal then the location of the Metrorail station. Access from the Metrorail station to the main terminal will utilize the existing pedestrian tunnel that connects Garage 1 to the main terminal. The pedestrian tunnel has a moving walkway in it.
It's further for people who go by bus or cab (or have someone drop them off and/or park short term), that is, for people who don't drive there themselves and would typically take transit. It's not a deal-breaker but it's a disappointment it's not like National.
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  #1048  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2014, 3:17 PM
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Originally Posted by aquablue View Post
The terminal seems mighty far from the station.
Correct-- it will be a long way. I think the station is going to be approximately 600 feet from the terminals. Greater Greater Washington had some excellent posts about this topic.

MWAA considers moving Dulles Airport Metro stop
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/...rt-metro-stop/

Dulles Metro must go to Dulles Airport
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/...ulles-airport/

People mover vs rail to Dulles saves more than money
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/...re-than-money/
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  #1049  
Old Posted Oct 11, 2014, 3:25 AM
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It's further for people who go by bus or cab (or have someone drop them off and/or park short term), that is, for people who don't drive there themselves and would typically take transit. It's not a deal-breaker but it's a disappointment it's not like National.


Many people bitched and moaned that the National Airport station was to far from the terminal when it opened. The folks at WMATA shot back "the terminal will at some time in the future grow to the station". It took more the 25 years for that prediction to become reality.

FYI: MWAA has a long term plan to build a land side people mover.
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  #1050  
Old Posted Oct 11, 2014, 1:35 PM
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bitched and moaned
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  #1051  
Old Posted Oct 16, 2014, 6:14 PM
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Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, Pictures 10 13 2014

Now that thing have calmed down after the opening of phase I we are going to settled back into the routine of describing how things are proceeding on phase II.

Construction on phase II is presently confined to Dulles Airport property north of Aviation Drive. Roughly 40 column are in various stages of construction. At this writing 12 have column cap on them, 16 are at or nearly ready for column cap the remainder are rebar cages sticking out of the ground. The 4 column that will carry the elevated over Autopilot Drive north of Rudder Road have not been holed to bedrock yet along with the 6 north of Aviation Drive along Air Freight Lane. Do to the weather I was unable to see exactly how many columns have been driven to bedrock between Windshear Road and the Dulles Greenway.

The casting plant site on the airport property used to make the post-tension segments for phase I is presently being used as a material lay down area. Not sure if it will be used by the phase II contractor for the same purpose, will check the area on my next visit.

Test track and Commissioning Facility

The new buildings in Greenbelt Yard are complete. Not sure how far along the fitting out of the equipment in commissioning facility is.

Grading to prepare for the roadbed on the test track is still proceeding south of Greenbelt Road. The surface cable trough for the test track signaling and train control system has been installed adjacent to inbound track E2 from the interlocking south of the Greenbelt station to just north of Greenbelt Road.

###

Pictures at picasaweb.google.com/cambronj DCMP 10 13 1014.

Pictures at picasaweb.google.com/cambronj Greenbelt Test Track and Commissioning Facility.

Captioned thumb nails along with the above and past essays can be view at cambronj.blogspot.com DCMP 01 19 2014.
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  #1052  
Old Posted Oct 16, 2014, 7:15 PM
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Nice photo update, thanks.
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  #1053  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2014, 11:31 AM
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How long does it take to walk over those freeways? I thought taking mass transit was supposed to save time and be cheaper?
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  #1054  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2014, 12:01 PM
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WMATA Photo by Larry Levine

How long does it take to walk over those freeways? I thought taking mass transit was supposed to save time and be cheaper?

First off, that's not a freeway, it's a semi urban arterial road. The stations have bridges bridges over the traffic lanes. It takes no more time to get from the platform to the entrance then it does in any other Washington Metrorail station.
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  #1055  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2014, 5:21 PM
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How long does it take to walk over those freeways? I thought taking mass transit was supposed to save time and be cheaper?
Huh? How does walking on a bridge to access the metro platform add any costs or more than a minute of travel time to the trip?
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  #1056  
Old Posted Oct 22, 2014, 5:07 PM
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Loudoun County Needs Your Help Naming Its Metro Stations

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/b...etro-stations/
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  #1057  
Old Posted Oct 23, 2014, 6:52 AM
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Dulles needed a proper express train, not this slow service that is just ridiculous. An hour to DC is pretty poor if you ask me.
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  #1058  
Old Posted Oct 24, 2014, 12:58 PM
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Dulles needed a proper express train, not this slow service that is just ridiculous. An hour to DC is pretty poor if you ask me.


I have said it multiple times, Metrorail to Dulles Airport would have never been built without the stations between airport and Falls Church. The number of boardings generated by the airport station will be a small fraction of the total boardings generated by the line. That small fraction is not great enough to justify the infrastructure needed to support express service.
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Last edited by cambron J; Oct 24, 2014 at 5:22 PM.
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  #1059  
Old Posted Oct 24, 2014, 10:20 PM
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Originally Posted by cambron J View Post
aquablue
Dulles needed a proper express train, not this slow service that is just ridiculous. An hour to DC is pretty poor if you ask me.


I have said it multiple times, Metrorail to Dulles Airport would have never been built without the stations between airport and Falls Church. The number of boardings generated by the airport station will be a small fraction of the total boardings generated by the line. That small fraction is not great enough to justify the infrastructure needed to support express service.
Makes sense. I doubt this train will be used to get to DC now from Dulles by many. Only the cash strapped tourists, employees might use it. I find it odd though that an express line would't be used more than you are implying if it were built. I like to think that if it were built it would be used. A stop in Tysons and DC would have been pretty nice as an express option. On the other hand, I suppose Dulles just isn't busy enough to generate the trafic. That's the problem when you have 3 regional airports and are close to other major hubs in the NE. The access road I suppose negates the need for the express train and the fact that most Dulles flyers are not DC bound.

I have family who lives around Tysons and they don't like the way the tracks look. I can see what they mean. Elevated tracks aren't that nice looking.
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  #1060  
Old Posted Oct 24, 2014, 10:57 PM
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Quote:
Elevated tracks aren't that nice looking.
There was a big debate about this maybe from 2006-08 when Tim Kaine was governor. There was an advocacy group that formed dedicated to lobbying for a tunnel through Tysons but it was generally greed that if a tunnel was buil, the SilveLine wouldn't meet the FTA's cost/benefit requirements for New Starts grants.
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