Growing transportation infrastructure and economic development with the City of Alexandria

Potomac Yard Metrorail Station - Environmental Regulatory Process Support

The Potomac Yard Metrorail Station sits on the banks of the Potomac River. It’s the 98th Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail station and serves the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus and Amazon’s HQ2. The City of Alexandria engaged our team to help advance this station project through the environmental regulatory process.

The project involved complicated environmental factors including both tidal and freshwater wetlands, wetland restoration, brownfields, recreation use, rare plant species, scenic easements, public involvement, and involvement of the National Park Service. Individual permits were needed from both federal and state agencies. We worked closely with the City and the design-build team, gathering documentation supporting the purpose, need, location, and design of the station based on decades of transportation, economic, and development planning.

We also provided the design for two acres (less than one hectare) of wetland restoration within the project site. Our design creates forested and emergent wetlands based on data we collected from hydrological monitoring and shallow groundwater wells to establish baseline wetland hydrology. We continue to conduct environmental monitoring in the restored area to support the establishment of a functioning ecosystem bordering the Metrorail station.

By adding this new station, the City is helping expand commercial development and serve the increasing number of residents in this neighborhood.