On Saturday the Arlington County Board approved a number of transportation projects designed to improve the safety, appearance and accessibility of streets, sidewalks, trails and bus stops in the county.
Arlington agreed to match $935,000 in state funds — a total of $1.87 million — for four “priority transportation projects.” The projects include:
- Old Dominion Drive, Phase II — “Installation of curb, gutters, storm drains, sidewalks, upgraded traffic signals, street lights and bus stops on Old Dominion Drive between North Glebe Road and 38th Street North. The County and State will each provide $500,000 toward this project. Total funding is $4.37 million.”
- Washington Boulevard Trail Phase II — “Construction of a trail parallel to Washington Boulevard from 2nd Street South to Columbia Pike. The County and State will each provide $170,000 toward this project. Total funding is $1.6 million.”
- Five Points Intersection Improvements — “Pedestrian improvements to sidewalks and street crossings at the intersection of Old Dominion Drive, Lee Highway, Military Road, and North Quincy Street. The County and State will each provide $225,000 toward this project. Total funding is $650,000.”
- Kirkwood Road Pedestrian Improvements — “Construction of new sidewalks along the west side of Kirkwood Road from 17th Street North to Lee Highway. Work is slated to begin in the fall of 2011.The County and State will each provide $40,000 toward this project. The total funding for this project is $280,000.”
“The transportation projects that the Board is authorizing today reflect the County’s policy of building infrastructure to support many types of travel,” County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said in a statement over the weekend.
The Board also approved five Neighborhood Conservation projects that will improve and beautiful streets, sidewalks and medians in the Tara Leeway Heights, Leeway, Glencarlyn, Ashton Heights and Yorktown neighborhoods. The projects carry a price tag of $2.8 million.
“Through Neighborhood Conservation, residents identify the projects that will improve pedestrian safety, prevent flooding, light streets and beautify public spaces in their neighborhoods,” Zimmerman said. “It is an effective way to ensure that Arlington neighborhoods remain strong, safe and attractive.”
Finally, the Board approved a nearly $400,000 contract to upgrade “31 existing, high-priority bus stops across the County.” (The stops include Metrobus and ART bus stops.) The upgrades include new bus shelters, improved street crossings, new or upgraded sidewalks, as well as new curb ramps, benches, trash receptacles and landscaping. The project is being paid for with federal and state funds.
Related Posts
- Board Expected to Approve Bus Stop Improvements September 12, 2011
- Board Approves Bond Issue for Construction Projects December 13, 2010
- County Approves Funding for Neighborhood Projects October 28, 2010
- Board Approves Community Improvement Projects March 17, 2010
County and State provide funding, leaving a large gap for all of the projects. Where will that money come from? More bonds?
The money fairy
Sorry to disappoint, but no can do. The Credit Fairy and I are planning on tearin’ it up in Vegas that weekend.
I’m glad to see that the the Washington Boulevard trail will be extended. It would be great if some day there was a continuous bike route to make it possible to ride from the infamous pedestrian/bike tunnel by the Humpback Bridge up to Clarendon. It’s tough to do around the Pentagon and by the Pike.
Do we have to have 26 projects going on at one time so the commute that used to be 15 mins to DC is now an hour?
I’m hoping the Kirkwood project is the second portion of the $720,000 they already allocated for Kirkwood that was done this year – otherwise, $1 million is an awful lot to spend on that small stretch for all these improvements – but it seems the way one project there is $720K and the other is $280K that there was a goal to spend $ 1 million on that project. But maybe beautification will encourage people to walk that way more often, rather than to Clarendon.
But if it is a new sidewalk on the West Side of the road, and they clear out that brush – that could be a great benefit – and who cares if it is total of $1 Million, I’m paying for a $100 million trolley on the South Side I’ll never use.
And we’re all paying for predator drones that will be authorized to kill human beings automatically! Wheee!!!
What sidewalk work have they done this year on Kirkwood? I’m still waiting for the work which was authorized by the NCAC program from 17th St N. to 14th St. N (http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/EnvironmentalServices/CapTrack/Details.aspx?q=UHJval9JZD0yOTg2&r=TmVpZ2hib3Job29kX05tPSZTdHJlZXRfTm09S0lSS1dPT0QgUkQmUHJvZ19JZD0wJlByb2pfVHlwZV9JZD0wJlByb2pfTm09JlBoYXNlX0lkPTA=) to start
It was a lot of work they did digging up the road to run pipes and wires under the street – or something to that effect. But I’ll admit, it’d be great to have a sidewalk on the West side of the road as long as they clear out that jungle and make it more open.
Oh sweet, that’s the section of Old Dominion on which I nearly got run over while crossing the street! Maybe throwing money at it will “fix stupid”.
Yeah that stretch of Old Dominon is tough to cross. I’m hoping that there will be some improvements near the Williamsburg intersection to allow more time for crossing. It’s a pretty dangerous spot right now where I’ve almost gotten hit a few times as well.
It would be really nice if all the pedestrian signals worked there. Of course it would be REALLY nice to have that third lane so the 23 has room to stop without railroading traffic but what can ya do besides vote republican
Vote Republican and pretty soon the 23 will be gone.
Perfect. Might mean getting to mclean in less than 20 mintues
It might take less than 20 minutes to get from Arlington to McLean! And people may get through Lee and Glebe in one shot. No one loses
“Five Points Intersection” was fine until the county started to muck with it a year ago.
see my post about those new stripes for quincy and military traffic
Before they spend money ripping out perfectly good curbs only so that they can spend money to build unnecessary new ones a couple of feet in toward the roadway, maybe they should bother to FIX THE PAVEMENT ON COLUMBIA PIKE, so that instead of some road that is so cratered that it might as well be Michigan, causing damage to cars and increasing the risk of accidents, they put our money to good use and resurface it?
Columbia, Williamsburg, Taylor, 15th, Quincy, 9th St….
This. +100
What would be really nice is if someone picked up the phone at the faulty signal hotline and listened to my voicemails about Old Dominion and Lorcom, Old Dominion and Lee, Glebe and Old Dominion, Glebe and 26th, Old Dominion and 26th, Mason and Lee (why is there a 5 light signal for southbound george mason if the arrows NEVER come?)…… never ends
Rick for President!
I would agree with you but I have no desire to be 35 yet
All should have sidewalks. Plan and budget accordingly.