County Board members have authorized the submission of three transportation improvement projects worth a combined $46 million for possible state funding.
The three proposals will now vie in the next round of “Smart Scale” funding, with winning projects receiving funding starting in 2029. They concern Arlington Blvd ramps, pedestrian facilities along N. Glebe Road and an intersection with an I-66 off-ramp.
The stakes are high, county staff said in a memo to Board members: “There are typically hundreds of applications submitted per two year cycle, with hundreds of millions of dollars awarded each fiscal year.”
Board members adopted the recommendation to submit the projects as part of their consent agenda. The next Smart Scale funding competition will be held in 2028.
Unlike some funding competitions, Smart Scale does not ask localities to rank their submissions in order of preference. Arlington’s three submissions — approved on Saturday — are as follows.
1. N. Meade Street over Arlington Blvd ($23 million): The project would add traffic signals and improve ramp geometry at the intersection while also upgrading existing traffic signals at N. Fairfax Drive and Fort Myer Drive and at N. Fairfax Drive and N. Lynn Street.
As part of the project, a short service roadway on N. Fairfax Drive between Fort Myer Drive and N. Lynn Street would be replaced with an improved sidewalk and landscape buffer.
The corridor also would bring improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and the overall project would be coordinated with the Virginia Department of Transportation’s planned rehabilitation of the bridge itself.
2. N. Glebe Road pedestrian improvements at Interstate 66 (up to $17 million): The project aims to widen the existing sidewalk on the west side of N. Glebe Road between 14th Street N. and 13th Street N. while undergrounding electric utilities.
It calls for crosswalk improvements and signal-timing adjustments at the intersection.
The intersection was part of a larger submission by county officials for previous state funding, which would have paid for improvements to nine intersections on Glebe Road between I-66 to the north and Columbia Pike to the south.
That larger proposal did not receive funding, so county transportation planning staff opted to recommend just the single intersection for Smart Scale funding.
County officials also are seeking funding for the project through a stream controlled by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.
3. Langston Blvd at N. Lynn Street/westbound and eastbound Interstate 66 (up to $6 million): Improvements would be made to the N. Lynn Street intersection with the westbound I-66 off-ramp, with a bicycle/pedestrian signal phase added to the existing traffic signal.
The proposal calls for adding two trail crossing warning signs — one with flashing lights — to the I-66 westbound off-ramp, and adding road crossing pavement markings and bicycle friendly rumble strips to the Mount Vernon Trail westbound approach and Custis Trail eastbound approach to the intersection.
At the N. Lynn Street intersection with the eastbound I-66 on-ramp, the project calls for improvements in road layout and crosswalks.
Before heading for County Board consideration, the three projects on May 28 won the support of the Transportation Commission on a 9-0 vote.
County supports Alexandria funding request
In addition to Arlington’s three submissions, County Board members on June 13 approved a resolution supporting a Smart Scale submission from the city of Alexandria.
The city is seeking up to $27 million for improvements to King Street in the Bradlee area, just south of the Arlington/Alexandria border.
If funding is secured, improvements would be made to King Street (Route 7) between Quaker Lane/Braddock Road and Menokin Drive.
This is the second time that City Council is asking for Smart Scale funding for the King Street project. Council approved the project in 2024, but the city was not awarded the funding. The project would take the two-way access road parallel to King Street and the Bradlee Shopping Center and turn it into a one-way westbound street with a dedicated bus lane and a two-way bicycle trail.
In addition to County Board support, the proposal has the backing of the Fairlington Citizens Association, which recently reaffirmed its 2024 support of project funding
“We hope that it will be secured to allow for the plan to move forward,” association president Jennifer Davies said in a recent letter to state officials.
Contract approved for signal upgrades
County Board members on June 13 approved a contract with Ardent Co. LLC worth up to $1.52 million for streetscape improvements at Washington Blvd’s intersections with N. Longfellow Street and McKinley Road.
The project is a part of the county’s ongoing traffic signal infrastructure upgrades focused on replacement of outdated signals. It all will improve pedestrian safety and accessibility at the intersections, county staff say.
Local funding is being used for the project, which drew two bidders.
Photo (1) via Google Maps
