Arlington County has unveiled an updated list of 34 particularly crash-prone intersections, including many on major roads between I-66 and Arlington Blvd.
These “hot spots” are areas that see relatively high crash rates, of which the county identified 60 in total, using data from 2018-2022. The total has dropped from 69 hot spots identified in a 2022 map.
Every two years, Arlington’s Vision Zero team “performs crash hot spot reviews of all reported crashes to identify individual intersections or locations that experience relatively high numbers of crashes to inform [the] implementation of quick-build crash mitigation measures.”
“The term ‘hot spot’ is relative,” per a county report, which notes intersections with severe and fatal crashes are weighted more heavily.
“Compared to larger jurisdictions with higher volume and higher speed roads, Arlington’s hot spots can have significantly fewer crashes and/or injuries,” it says. “However, we recognize the importance of identifying safety needs from our crash data and implementing safety improvements wherever possible to achieve Arlington’s Vision Zero goals.”
Several hot spots were identified along Glebe Road and Route 50 and Washington Blvd and figure into current Virginia Dept. of Transportation traffic studies, which the state agency undertook to address bottleneck traffic and other problems.
This week, VDOT held an open house on proposed changes to Glebe Road from I-66 to Columbia Pike. Through July, the agency will conduct risk assessments, develop preferred improvement plans and estimate project costs for improvements to Arlington and Washington Blvd.
Other notable additions include Arlington Blvd and N. Manchester Street — which received upgrades to reduce speeding and crashes but has continued clocking fatal crashes — and N. Glebe Road and N. Henderson, in Ballston, which saw a serious two-car crash in 2022.
Route 1 and 23d Street S. also made the list. This intersection sees significant pedestrian traffic and could see more once Route 1 is brought at grade. This intersection — where some have observed safety issues — used to have a pedestrian tunnel, but it was closed after maintenance was deemed too onerous.
Meanwhile, the Vision Zero team is working on a way to track the efficacy of “quick build” projects intended to improve safety at these hot spots. The county report says the team is building a map, expected to launch this year, that will calculate crash rates before and after these projects to “gauge whether additional interventions are needed to reduce crashes.”
In a separate analysis published this month, the county says it is actively working on improvements to previously identified crash-prone areas.
In total, 27 have existing or ongoing projects, 24 have had safety improvements implemented and, at 18 locations, staff are working on implementing or assessing new safety features.
Locals can look forward to a red-light camera at 10th Street. N. and N. Barton Street, where a bus driver once careened into a community garden after another driver ran a red light. The installation has been held up, however, by long procurement times for a new vendor that will handle Arlington’s forthcoming speeding cameras as well as its existing red-light cameras.
Along Little Falls Road, at the intersection with Yorktown Blvd, the county plans to make crosswalk updates on N. Greenbrier Street and add a “keep right” sign on the Yorktown Blvd median.
The county has lowered speed limits on Little Falls Road, which in this area, has seen some high-profile fatal crashes, including a fatal pedestrian crash at Little Falls and Old Dominion Drive, a previously identified hot spot.
In Pentagon City, meanwhile, pedestrians will soon see some additional signage at the mid-block crossing south of S. Hayes Street and 12th Street S., next to the mall. That part of S. Hayes has been previously dinged by advocates for pedestrian safety issues. The nearby intersection at 15th Street S. is already a hotspot.