A multimillion-dollar project adding new bus bays and pedestrian improvements to the East Falls Church Metro station begins next week.
Plans at 2001 N. Sycamore Street call for the construction of three new bus bays, as well as updates to nearby sidewalks, crosswalks, bus shelters and utilities. The first phase will begin in the station’s north parking lot, county spokesperson Claudia Pors told ARLnow.
“Crews will begin preparing to mobilize next week but may not be out with large machinery until some remaining permits and surveying are completed,” Pors said.
Phase 1 will involve sidewalk improvements, ADA parking space relocation, utility infrastructure work, tree removal and paving in the north parking lot. It is expected to last through this fall.
Roughly 34 of the lot’s 422 spaces will close to allow for equipment staging. More parking will be available at the West Falls Church Metro station, about three miles away.
“People driving around the site should proceed with caution and care for the safety of workers and others,” Pors said. “People walking through should follow all detour signs directing them around the site.”
The $12.7 million project aims to relieve the Metro station’s four existing bus bays, which have been operating at maximum capacity for years, according to a 2015 county report.
Later in the year, crews will also replace existing bus shelters and make improvements to the station’s pedestrian access points, including the intersection of N. Sycamore Street and Washington Blvd.
The county expects to finish the project by next summer. A broad timeline of the project’s three phases is available below.
- Parking lot reconstruction (summer 2025 to fall 2025)
- Sidewalk improvements
- Light pole foundation installation
- Asphalt repaving
- Utility infrastructure work
- Bus loop reconstruction (late fall 2025 to winter 2026)
- Improvements to sidewalks, bus lanes and bus shelters
- Light pole installation
- Upgrades to utility infrastructure
- Bus loop sidewalk work and loop expansion will begin late fall. Bus bays relocations are expected to start in the wintertime.
- N. Sycamore Street intersection work (winter 2026 to spring 2026)
- Crosswalk and sidewalk improvements
- New signal installation
- Upgrades to utility infrastructure
Photos via Arlington County.
