Further Safety Improvements Coming to W&OD, Custis Trails

The Washington & Old Dominion and Custis trails are set for further construction this summer, with the hope of increasing safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and public transportation users.

The improvements will reduce the distance of crossing some streets, upgrade curb ramps and bus stops, create high visibility crosswalks, improve trail crossing alignments and update traffic signals to meet Arlington County’s standards, among other changes.

Lanes would also be reconfigured on the W&OD Trail at its crossing with S. George Mason Drive and on the Custis Trail at N. Quinn and N. Scott streets.

The changes that the trails would undergo were recommendations made in the county’s Shared Use Trail Traffic Control Study, completed in 2010.

Three sections along each trail are set for improvements. Along the W&OD Trail, the areas are:

• The intersection of S. Four Mile Run Drive and S. George Mason Drive
• S. Four Mile Run Drive at the Barcroft Sports Center (4200 S. Four Mile Run Drive)
• The intersection of S. Four Mile Run Drive and S. Oakland Street

The sections set to be under construction along the Custis Trail are:

• The intersection of Lee Highway and N. Scott Street
• The intersection of Lee Highway and N. Quinn Street
• The trail crossing at the intersection of Lee Highway and N. Oak Street

The Arlington County Board has approved the costs for the trail renovations, which will be funded primarily by the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program.

Under a timeline put forward by county staff, construction would begin this summer on both projects. A contract worth a combined $1.67 million has been proposed for both, with just over $335,000 in contingency for any cost overruns.