After years of work and $2.5 million in funding, crews are working to make a new roundabout on Military Road able to accommodate buses.
The traffic circle at the intersection of Military Road and Nelly Custis Drive was partially closed for about two weeks last month to give crews enough space to work on the traffic circle. It’s now back open with signage warning large vehicles, including buses, to stay away — although apparently that wasn’t enough to stop at least one driver.
An ARLnow reader shared a photo of a privately owned bus wedged between the curbs in the one-lane roundabout last week. It’s an issue that will be resolved in the final version of the roundabout, Claudia Pors, a transportation communications specialist for the county, told ARLnow.
“The center island of the roundabout is designed with a mountable curb to allow buses to move through the intersection when the project is completed at the end of November,” Pors said. “We have coordinated with Arlington Public Schools and Arlington Transit to reroute service while the center island is under construction.”
The roundabout is normally on the ART 56 route, which connects neighborhoods as far north as Arlingwood and Chain Bridge Forest to the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.
Crews have been pouring concrete for the new concrete apron, which will give buses and delivery trucks the ability to pass through the roundabout once it cures, Pors said. The project is on track to be substantially completed in late November, with landscape installation in early December.
The roundabout’s $2.5 million price tag included the construction of below-ground utility infrastructure, sidewalk improvements and bioretention in addition to the physical roundabout structure. It was funded through a combination of local dedicated transportation funding and revenue-sharing funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation.
It’s been in the works for years. The intersection was originally controlled by a stop sign on northbound Military Road, but safety concerns led the county to install a temporary version of the traffic circle using paint lines and flex posts in October 2021.
This proved successful at reducing vehicles’ speeds, although when the county sought feedback on the improvements, not all respondents were convinced.
“Those who reported feeling less safe highlighted concerns with operational confusion, the size of the pilot roundabout and the perceived lack of sufficient space for a well-designed roundabout in the future condition,” reads a county staff report from summer 2022.
Construction on the permanent structure began last year.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that mountable curbs were included in the original design of the roundabout, although they are still being constructed.
