construction | ARLnow.com

Morning Poll: New Clarendon Metro Plaza

Published July 13, 2011 at 9:07AM | Updated July 13, 2011 at 10:23AM

The project, set to begin construction later this year or early next year, is intended to improve the currently under-utilized space by creating “an active, multi-use plaza to accommodate the farmers’ markets, music events, vendors and other community activities, while enhancing pedestrian access to Metrorail and transit.”

The improvements include new pedestrian paving, street and plaza lighting, “seating walls,” movable tables and chairs, covered bike parking, modular newspaper racks and a Clarendon Boulevard curb extension.

Around Town

Neighbors Decry Tree Removal in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published July 11, 2011 at 4:00PM

What was once a row of three bungalow houses amid a dense jumble of trees is now an empty dirt lot, and some neighbors are not very happy about it.

The lot, at the corner of N. Danville Street and 11th Street N., will eventually be transformed into a collection of four million-dollar luxury homes, featuring gourmet kitchens, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and spa-style baths with Italian marble, according to a brochure.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 1, 2011 at 8:16AM

Greene Turtle Coming to Ballston — Sports bar The Greene Turtle is coming to Ballston later this year. The restaurant has signed a lease for a 7,000 square foot space on the ground floor of the new Virginia Tech Research Center (900 N. Glebe Road). [Washington Business Journal]

New Apartment Complex Coming to Ballston — A new 150-unit apartment complex called The Crimson on Glebe is coming to Ballston. The five-story mixed-use building will be located across from Ballston Common Mall at the corner of Glebe Road and N. Carlin Springs Road. Owners are hoping to wrap up construction by mid-2013. [CoStar Group]

Traffic

Construction Blocks Lane on Randolph Street

By ARLnow.com

Published June 29, 2011 at 1:07PM

Construction blocked the sole northbound lane of N. Randolph Street at the Glebe Road intersection around lunchtime today.

A dump truck and a backhoe made travel on both northbound Randolph Street and northbound Glebe Road a bit tricky for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. A lone worker with a florescent vest tried to get southbound traffic on Randolph to stay out of the turn lane so northbound traffic could get around the construction. Meanwhile, a lane was also blocked on northbound Glebe Road.

News

Pedestrian Improvements Underway on Shirlington Road

By ARLnow.com

Published June 21, 2011 at 10:35AM

The sidewalk in front of the Weenie Beenie, between Four Mile Run Drive and 27th Street S., is being expanded from 5.5 feet to 12 feet. In addition, the traffic signal at Shirlington Road and Four Mile Run Drive is being upgraded, LED street lights are being added and other aspects of the streetscape are being improved.

The improvements are intended to make bike and foot travel safer in an area of high pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The sidewalk serves pedestrians heading between Nauck and Shirlington, as well as cyclists and joggers heading between the W&OD Trail and the two sections of the Four Mile Run Trail.

Around Town

Solar Panel Installation at Arlington Central Library

By ARLnow.com

Published June 16, 2011 at 4:28PM

Workers were busy installing 250 solar panels on the roof of Arlington Central Library today.

The 60 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system will save the library $14,000 in peak electricity costs every year and will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 100,000 pounds annually, officials say.

News

Lane Closures in Place for Glebe Road Bridge Work

By ARLnow.com

Published June 15, 2011 at 11:40AM

Drivers heading across the Glebe Road/Route 50 bridge are now encountering lane closures and heavier traffic during the day.

The bridge that carries Glebe Road traffic over Route 50 is being replaced over the next 15 months. Initially, we had been told that “any lane closures or shifts… will occur between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.” and that there would be “no major construction impacts… during the day.”

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 14, 2011 at 7:00AM

Striking ART Drivers Fired — The Examiner’s Liz Essley reports that the Arlington Transit bus drivers who went on strike yesterday have been fired by Forsythe Transportation, the contractor that operates ART buses. The paper also reports that the labor dispute came to a head when Forsythe fired the head of the bus drivers union last week. ART buses are operating on a reduced frequency schedule today, with all routes in service except the 61B route. [Washington Examiner, Arlington Transit]

Airport Uniforms Found in Ballston — Three pairs of airport employee uniforms and a Washington Reagan Airport safety vest have been found in the bushes outside Carpool restaurant in Ballston (4000 Fairfax Drive). The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Arlington police are investigating how the uniforms wound up there. [WJLA]

Around Town

Slow Progress on Courthouse Plaza Brick Work

By ARLnow.com

Published June 10, 2011 at 1:04PM

We’re told by a source that the project will most likely not be completed this month, the anticipated completion date that TBD.com reported in February. No official word yet on how much longer the project might take. Multiple calls seeking information from the owner of Courthouse Plaza, Vornado Charles E. Smith, have gone unreturned over the past week.

Courthouse Plaza is the home of restaurants, small shops, a movie theater, a hotel, county government’s main office building and a Courthouse Metro entrance. The project has resulted in a gauntlet of fences around the plaza, and the displacement of some outdoor seating, but access to businesses and Metro has been maintained.

Schools

Groundbreaking for New Wakefield High School

By ARLnow.com

Published June 9, 2011 at 3:59PM | Updated June 9, 2011 at 4:17PM

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) School officials, County Board members and other local dignitaries donned helmets and shovels to help break ground on the new, $118 million Wakefield High School today.

Over the next 2-3 years workers will build a 380,000 square foot school to replace the existing, 60-year-old building. The new Wakefield will feature 50 classrooms, state-of-the-art science labs, a 625 seat auditorium, a media center, two new athletic fields, two gyms, two pools, a diving well and a geothermal heating and cooling plant.

Around Town

Progress on 2201 North Pershing Drive Project

By ARLnow.com

Published June 3, 2011 at 3:52PM

What was once the Lee Center strip mall is now a big, dusty hole in the ground.

Construction is well underway on what is known as the 2201 North Pershing Drive project. When work wraps up in mid-to-late 2012, the $75 million project at Route 50 and Pershing Drive will consist of 188 rental apartments and nearly 33,500 square feet of ground-level retail space.

Around Town

Still Awaiting Construction at Trader Joe’s Site

By ARLnow.com

Published May 25, 2011 at 3:03PM

Interior construction of the hotly-anticipated grocery store has yet to begin. In November a Trader Joe’s rep told the County Board that they hoped to have the store open by “mid-2011.” Now, that seems highly unlikely.

Reached for comment yesterday, all Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki could tell ARLnow.com is that the store is on track to open by the end of the year. She said the company never actually promised an earlier opening.