County Board To Consider Arlington Blvd Improvement Project

The intersection of Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) and N. Irving Street is set to undergo a major safety transformation.

The County Board due to award a contract for the work on Saturday. Upgraded traffic signals, improved sidewalk connectivity, new and more accessible bus stops and marked turn lanes are slated for the intersection.

There will also be better connections to the nearby Arlington Blvd trail, while pedestrians will get new push buttons to help them cross the street, countdown signals and technology to detect vehicles and cyclists in the street.

The project is close to Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Community Center and what will, in two years, be a new elementary school.

The County Board will vote on awarding a contract worth an initial $729,000, with an additional $109,000 as a contingency. A report by county staff on the project notes that it is administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation, with primary funding from the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program.

Under the current funding model, just over $650,000 will be covered by federal money, with the remaining $180,000 covered by the county’s Transportation Capital Fund, which allocates commercial tax revenues to transportation projects.

In their report, staff did not raise any issues with the project. It has already been presented to the Arlington Heights and Ashton Heights Civic Associations and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees.

If approved by the County Board, construction is set to begin this fall. There are no road closures planned for the project.

Kalina Newman contributed reporting.