Protected bike lanes, a new stop light and improved bus stops along S. Walter Reed Drive are included in a proposed $7 million county contract.
The transportation improvement contract, slated for County Board consideration on Saturday, is for part of the “Complete Streets” project on Walter Reed between 5th Street S. and Columbia Pike.
Milani Construction LLC was the lowest bidder among three firms competing. The contract has a base amount of $5.88 million plus a 20% contingency.
The design includes a protected bike lane for the entire corridor and a two-way protected bike lane on 6th Street S. to help facilitate east-west bicycle connectivity, staff said. The plan also calls to realign and signalize the intersection of Walter Reed and 9th Street S.
It does not, however, include a traffic signal at the Walter Reed and 6th Street S., which the Penrose Neighborhood Association had sought.
“Data analysis indicated that the intersection does not warrant a traffic signal and that adding a westbound turn pocket would provide negligible benefit to vehicle drivers while introducing safety risks for people walking and driving,” staff said in a memorandum to Board members.
The proposal has been in the works since 2020, and will occur as construction of the new Grace Hopper Center (Arlington Career Center) building continues along Walter Reed.
The road project, scheduled to start in the summer, is the second of two phases. It was split in two to better coordinate with the school-construction project, staff said.
The first phase made improvements to the intersection of 5th Street S. at S. Fillmore Street and Walter Reed. It was completed in 2021.
The total current estimated project cost for the second phase of just over $8.6 million is 4.1% less than estimates included in the county government’s capital-improvement program, staff said.
