Late last week the Tysons Tower project finished the first step in the construction process with the majority of earth work operations completed for Phase 1 of construction. You may have noticed far fewer dump trucks coming from the property and that brand new multi-hundred foot crane hovering over Route 123. From above we can see how big of an operation this summer entailed for the Macerich project as what was once a large hill along Dolley Madison Boulevard is now a massive excavated pit.
The end of summer has resulted in several projects beginning building construction, likely catalyzed by the finish date for Silver Line Phase 1 in sight. From what we can tell the Tysons Tower project looks to move forward as quickly as Greystar’s Ascent building which we reported on last week. Of course the very complex system of plazas, more intricate facade of high-grade glass, and overall logistics of building next to the busiest mall in the mid-atlantic… through 2 christmas seasons… will likely cause Tysons Tower to have a longer project duration.
Adjacent to Tysons Tower there has been significant advancement in the construction of the metro station pedestrian crossing of Route 123. We have had some serious criticism of the design for the crossing of the “great divide” in Tysons. We continue to urge Fairfax County to consider air rights as a viable option for creating a more habitable crossing of the divided regions of Tysons. Regardless, the pedestrian bridges in the interim term are necessary and will help connect the early Silver Line users to offices around Tysons.
We will continue to look back in on Tysons Tower as construction progresses and are excited to see the ambitious design for the glass facade begin to take form.
