A new trail connecting Columbia Pike to the Arlington Cemetery Metro station could come later than anticipated due to unexpected environmental assessment requirements.
A request to have Arlington County assume control over a portion of the Arlington Memorial Trail project — previously known as the Arlington National Cemetery Wall Trail — is scheduled for consideration at an Arlington County Board meeting on Monday.
A division of the Federal Highway Administration had previously been in charge of completing all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements, design and permitting for the project. This was meant to help synchronize the project’s timing with the Defense Access Roads (DAR) project, which is part of the realignment of Columbia Pike to accommodate a 50-acre southern expansion of the cemetery.
However, according to a county report, federal agencies have determined that the Memorial Trail cannot be excluded from an environmental assessment process, as originally hoped. That means this synchronization no longer makes sense, as constructing the trail will take longer than previously expected.
“Arlington now seeks to terminate the MOA so the County can assume control of the Trail project’s schedule, costs, and management related to the NEPA process, as well as design development and permitting work,” the report says. “The Arlington Memorial Trail project’s design would continue to be coordinated with the DAR project.”
The Arlington Memorial Trail will run along Washington Blvd and Richmond Highway, starting at the eastern end of a realigned Columbia Pike to Memorial Avenue, immediately adjacent to the Arlington Cemetery Metro station. It will also link up to an existing trail along the west side of Richmond Hwy, which provides a connection to the Iwo Jima memorial, to Rosslyn and to the larger network of bicycle and pedestrian trails along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.
As of early 2023, the estimated cost of the project was $25 million. The county has been seeking federal funding for the project for several years, and according to a county project page, those efforts are ongoing.
The proposed termination of the county’s agreement with the Federal Highway Administration would transfer $272,719 in unspent funds back to the county.
“The remaining budget and the materials developed under the initial effort (e.g., survey, utility investigations, conceptual designs) would be used to continue NEPA work under a future County-led contract with a design consultant,” the county report says.
