Overwhelmingly positive public feedback greeted a $177 million plan for an additional entrance to the Ballston Metro station last night.
Dozens of residents joined representatives from developers and civic associations at a presentation on the planned entrance at the southwest corner of Fairfax Drive and N. Vermont Street.
Speakers praised the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority proposal to reduce congestion and improve access areas west of the current entrance.
“I’m super excited about this Metro station,” Bluemont resident Matthew Sanders said during public comment. “I walk by the spot it would be at every day, and I point at that to my wife and say … ‘If there was a Metro station here, that would complete my life.'”
Bluemont Civic Association President Henry McFarland argued that the proposed entrance, about a quarter mile west of the existing one, would shorten commutes and ultimately reduce road congestion.
“The second entrance will encourage the use of mass transit and improve safety, and we urge you to make this project a high priority,” he said.
Other proponents included representatives from Skanska, which recently completed construction on an office building at 3901 Fairfax Drive, and Aria Development Group, which acquired a building at 4420 Fairfax Drive last year.
The Ballston Metro station currently sees around 5,975 daily boardings, according to the latest numbers from WMATA.
The Metro system as a whole is still recovering from a precipitous drop in ridership during the pandemic. The Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor saw less than half as many weekday boardings in 2023 compared to 2010: 19,673 compared to 46,639.
In 2020, boardings in this area had plunged to just 1,708 per weekday, according to data compiled by the county.
Beyond a new stairway, project plans depict the following additions to the Ballston station.
- Two new street-level elevators
- A new underground chamber with ticket machines and fare gates
- A new pedestrian tunnel between the mezzanine and the station platform
- A new platform mezzanine including two staircases and two elevators for the inbound platform, as well as two staircases and a single elevator for the outbound platform
- A new crosswalk across Fairfax Drive
- An improved crosswalk across N. Vermont Street with reconstructed curb ramps
Last night, the main criticism of the project was how long it has taken to arrive.
The Bluemont Civic Association has been advocating for a new Metro entrance since 2010, McFarland said. Another nearby resident said he’d heard talk of the project since around 2003.
Ballooning costs have contributed to delays in recent years. In 2019, the project had an estimated price tag of just $130 million.
Respondents have until Dec. 20 to provide further public comment on the proposal. The project team expects to submit the project to the WMATA board of directors in March.
If approved, construction is projected to begin in the summer of 2026 and last through summer 2029.
