Arlington County is collecting feedback on a narrow walking and bicycling path along Arlington Blvd near Rosslyn.
The portion of the Arlington Blvd Trail between Dark Star Park and the N. Rhodes Street overpass is currently only a few feet wide in some places, sandwiched between Arlington Blvd and N. Fairfax Drive. A project page describes the trial as “an important bike connection” that is “surrounded by a frequent-trafficked road and a highway where vehicles drive at high speeds.”
“Improvements may include replacement of the existing trail with a 10-foot wide two-way, multi-use asphalt trail, with features such as directional striping, ornamental plantings, and safety fixtures such as bollards, security railings/fence elements, and/or guard rails,” the webpage says.
In feedback so far, respondents have raised safety concerns about proximity to cars on the trail and criticized the three-way connection of Arlington Blvd, N. Fairfax Drive and N. Queen Street, which some argue is unsafe for motorists as well as pedestrians.
“Making this trail safe and enjoyable for all hinges on fixing this terrifying intersection,” Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County commented. “There are too many ways cars can be going, the cars coming off 50 are flying, and almost nobody has to stop and look around.”
“This narrow strip of pavement squeezed between a road and a highway with zero clear zone or physical protection is not a ‘trail,'” commenter Austin Pearce wrote, referring to a trail segment near the Red Lion Inn. “It doesn’t feel safe at all.”
Other comments called for more lighting, better trail maintenance and a crosswalk at N. Pierce Street.
Arlington Blvd and Fairfax Drive are both part of Arlington’s High Injury Network.
Respondents have until Saturday, Aug. 4 to provide feedback on this portion of the Arlington Blvd Trail. The county plans to reach a final concept design by fall 2025 and begin construction in fall 2026.
Photo (1) via Google Maps
