School board officials expect to spend approximately $99 million to complete the entire project. According to minutes from the closed meeting during which board members voted in favor of awarding the contract to Hess, six firms had received pre-approval to bid on the project, and Hess was one of two that submitted final bids.

Located at 1300 N. Quincy St., Washington-Lee occupies a nearly 20-acre site just a couple of blocks from Interstate 66 in Arlington's Ballston submarket. The new high school will feature a four-story classroom building, a gym, an 800-seat theater, an indoor community swimming pool and two new athletic fields.

The project is being designed by Grimm and Parker Architects and will be an environmentally friendly development that adheres to LEED Silver Certification green building standards. Hess will construct the new high school in two phases, thereby allowing the school to remain in operation during construction activity. The first phase, which will include the construction of the academic building, is scheduled to wrap up no later than early 2008, with the entire project on target to reach completion 2009.