A preliminary design for a safer intersection in the Dominion Hills area includes a traffic signal, more separation for bike lanes and a flashing beacon for pedestrians.
Respondents have until Monday, Oct. 27 to submit feedback on plans for the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Livingston Street. This is located near Powhatan Springs Park, about half a mile west of another Wilson Blvd intersection where a bicyclist was seriously injured in a crash earlier this month.
Research on the intersection earlier this year found that it warranted a full traffic signal, according to a project webpage. The preliminary concept design also calls for two bus stop islands with shelters on either side of Wilson Blvd, separated bike lane segments west of N. Livingston Street, and left-turn “pocket lanes” for motorists turning left onto that street.
The county proposes removing the current pedestrian crossing just east of the intersection, relocating it a couple hundred feet to Wilson Blvd and N. Liberty Street. The new crossing would receive a rectangular rapid flashing beacon and curb extensions to decrease the speeds of turning vehicles.
In responses to a public engagement effort this summer, 34% of respondents said they felt “unsafe” or “very unsafe” when walking or “rolling” in this area. Some 35% of motorists and 27% of bicyclists said the same.
Just 5% of respondents said they felt unsafe when taking public transit, though.
The current feedback form asks respondents how safe they would feel traveling through the intersection if the preliminary concept design were implemented as-is.
While this project moves forward, Arlington County is also seeking input on an update to its Vision Zero Action Plan, which aims to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries in the county by 2030.
That feedback form, due Friday, Oct. 31, asks respondents for input on ongoing safety initiatives and communications efforts — as well as what it will take to achieve Vision Zero with just five years to go.
