The Rosslyn Metrorail Station entrance project has crossed the half-way point.
Blasting for the project is now complete, officials say, having resulted in the excavation of more than 11,000 cubic yards of rock over the past 10 months.
The $32.6 million project will add a new entrance to the Rosslyn Metro station, featuring three high-speed elevators and an emergency staircase, but no escalators. The project cost includes the construction of new fare collection and vending equipment, as well as a new kiosk and a new entrance mezzanine.
The entrance will be able to serve up to 2,000 riders per hour. Local leaders have said that they hope the entrance will help keep pace with the station’s soaring ridership, which has increased 23 percent in the past decade and is expected to increase even more with new office and residential development in the area.
The project, which is now 53 percent complete, is on time and on budget, according to the Arlington County Department of Environmental Services. Construction is expected to wrap up in the spring of 2013.