A half-mile section of Columbia Pike that closed last year for an expansion of Arlington National Cemetery is scheduled to reopen next week.
The portion of the Pike between S. Nash Street and S. Joyce Street will reopen in its new alignment “on or about” Monday, Sept. 16, ANC announced in a press release. The following traffic patterns will change.
- S. Nash Street north of Columbia Pike will close temporarily.
- S. Joyce Street north of Columbia Pike will close.
- The entrance to the Air Force Memorial will move from Southgate Road to Columbia Pike.
- A portion of the Route 27 off ramp, which heads west on old Columbia Pike, will close.
- Southgate Road, from S. Oak Street to S. Joyce Street, will close.
- The previous Columbia Pike alignment road will be designated as “Authorized Access Only for ANC.”
- The eastbound lane of Southgate Road, between S. Ode Street and S. Oak Street, will be closed temporarily. The westbound lane will be open.
- A four-way, light-controlled traffic intersection will be provided at the intersection of Columbia Pike and the Route 27 on and off ramps.
- Pedestrian and bike access will remain open on the north side of Southgate Road, alongside the ANC boundary wall.
- Pedestrian and bike access will open on the south side of Columbia Pike.
Bus access on Columbia Pike between S. Orme Street and Army Navy Drive will remain closed while the sidewalk on the north side of the Pike remains under construction, according to a county transportation update. Bike, pedestrian and transit access on this portion of the Pike is scheduled to fully reopen later this year.
“Arlington National Cemetery appreciates the public’s patience and understanding regarding these changes,” ANC said. “The Southern Expansion project will enable the Army to continue the honored tradition of laying to rest our veterans well into the future.”
The realignment is part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Arlington National Cemetery Defense Access Roads project to accommodate the 50-acre southern expansion of the cemetery.
This will add about 80,000 burial sites, allowing the cemetery to continue burials through the 2050s. The expansion will also bring the Air Force Memorial within cemetery grounds and provide space for the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center.
Further west on Columbia Pike, work on the county’s Multimodal Street Improvements project is still underway, with anticipated completion in late 2025.
