Contract Awarded for Cherrydale Utility Work

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by Katie Pyzyk — February 17, 2012 at 3:55 pm 2,920 16 Comments

The Arlington County Board has approved a $1.2 million contract to finish the utility undergrounding effort along Lee Highway, as part of the Cherrydale Lee Highway Revitalization Project.

The contract for the final phase of the ongoing effort was awarded to Trafford Corporation. The first phase of the project, which includes removing overhead electrical lines from I-66 to N. Monroe St, is in its final stages.

When the project is finished late next year, Lee Highway will no longer have power lines dangling overhead from I-66 to N. Quincy St. This is one of the first utility undergrounding projects the County has undertaken.

This part of the neighborhood revitalization project has been in the works for years and has suffered from numerous delays. Some of the challenges have included avoiding interference with existing utilities under the roadway, working around private properties, and dealing with unforeseen circumstances such as utility crews being sent to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

Following the completion of the undergrounding, the County plans to go forward with the remainder of the Cherrydale Lee Highway Revitalization Project. That involves restarting the planning and construction on other aesthetic and pedestrian safety improvements. Right now, that’s anticipated to be finished sometime in 2014.

Good Grief

Glad to hear, much needed improvement. Just hope it doesn’t affect traffic as much as the work on 10th and Washington is.
info81

Hooray! These projects are well worth the money. Now they need to underground the utility poles on Wilson between Glebe and Kensington. People have run their cars into the power poles near the Safeway on Wilson a few times in the last two years. They also take up too much space on a narrow sidewalk. Oh and did I mention they are very ugly..
- RanomDude
  
  +1, couldn’t agree more.
- Baja
  
  +1. The sidewalks along that stretch are dangerous, nowhere near ADA-compliant and don’t even approach current County guidelines. They start right at the curb and are narrow (4′ or less in many places), frequently obstructed by power poles, and are fairly sharply inclined at driveway curb-cuts.
  
  You can barely manage squeezing by when encountering a fellow pedestrian, a stroller is tough and a wheel chair is impossible in many spots.
  - Southeast Jerome
    
    yeah definitely, agree thats a horrible area to walk on. Especially that area there right in front of the mexican restaurant, you litterally have to step into the road at points to walk.
General Lee

’bout time they fixed up my road
Arlingtoon

I wonder if they could “underground” the Columbia Pike Trolley…
- Edgar
  
  Better yet, just move the trolley from Columbia Pike to Lee Highway.
  - Suburban Not Urban
    
    No!!!!!!
  - Sean
    
    I bet when they’re done with the Pike, Lee HW is next…
Please

Bury the lines and get rid of the poles on Wilson in front of the power substation in Clarendon. That will never be redeveloped so no sense in waiting.
Ashton Heights

Is there a way to request your neighborhood to get underground lines?
- MayorOfWestover
  
  Submit a request in triplicate to the Central Bureaucracy. They will get back to you eventually.
Charlie

Talk about putting lipstick on a pig. Anyone look around the dump we call Lee Hwy of late?
Sal

For years we in Bluemont have been told that undergrounding utilities was too costly and that we had to wait for developers to hopefully pay for it — some day. This on Wilson Blvd where far more people than Columbia Pike or Lee Highway take their lives in their hands, inches from speeding traffic, on the too-narrow, utility-pole impeded sidewalks on the way to the Ballston Metro every day. Grrrrr,
- charlie
  
  i don’t think you want to start a competition about who has the toughest walk. Lee hwy does suck. As does Wilson Blvd in Virginia Square.
  But regardless, Sal, are you involved in your community’s discussions about redeveloping the Safeway site? If that doesn’t get support it will never happen. ever.
  and while it won’t fund undergrounding all of the utilities it is a start.

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