In 2010, developers began construction on more than 600,000 square feet of retail and office space, while construction wrapped up construction on another 600,000 square feet of space. Construction started on 477 multifamily (apartment and condo) units, while 1,438 units were completed.
A majority – 68 percent – of on-going commercial construction last year took place in Ballston. A similar majority of the multifamily construction – 67 percent – took place on Columbia Pike.
Capital Bikeshare Stations Launch in Rosslyn — Four Capital Bikeshare stations were quietly installed around Rosslyn on Saturday. There were no public notices or proclamations before the installation — unlike earlier in the week when officials announced that four stations were to be installed on Wednesday. The county followed up that announcement with a notice that the installation was delayed indefinitely. Update at 12:05 p.m. — See info on the installations from Bike Arlington. [Patch]
Humpback Bridge Work Nears Completion — The National Park Service expects construction on the Humpback Bridge reconstruction project to wrap up in mid-June. The final construction phase will allow a full merge from I-395 onto the northbound GW Parkway. [WTOP]
Route 50 Interchange Project Nears — In March, we were told that the lane closure on westbound Route 50 would finally be lifted by around this time. That’s still yet to be seen, but some new closures are just around the corner. Dr. Gridlock reports that VDOT plans to start construction on a new Route 50/Courthouse Road/Fairfax Drive interchange next month, with nightly traffic disruptions. The $39 million project is expected to wrap up in Fall 2013. [Dr. Gridlock]
Arlington’s Fuel Bill Going Up — Arlington County could spend hundreds of thousands of additional dollars on gasoline this year, thanks to rising gas prices. The county’s vehicle fleet — which includes fuel-sipping Toyota Priuses — consumes about a million gallons of gas every year. [Washington Examiner]
Blasting on the Rosslyn Metrorail entrance project will begin in the wee hours of this coming Thursday morning. From Arlington County:
Controlled blasting is scheduled to begin at the Rosslyn Metrorail Station Project site (immediately across from the Station entrance on N. Moore Street) during the early morning of Thursday, March 31. Initial blasting will occur nightly between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Due to the small area of the excavation site, minimal noise and vibration are expected. One block of N. Moore Street, between 19th Street North and Wilson Blvd., will be closed during blasting hours only.
Workers felled a huge tree on a construction site in Rosslyn this morning.
Police are looking for a construction worker who reportedly pulled a gun during an argument near Crystal City.
Initial reports suggest other construction workers were able to wrestle the gun away from the man after he brandished it during an argument at a construction site at Old Jefferson Davis Highway and S. Clark Street.
Several people have emailed us and asked about the Shell station at 2835 Washington Boulevard in Lyon Park. Fences have been erected around the station and heavy equipment brought in to dig up the concrete around the pumps. That has led some to fear that another area gas station might have fallen victim to development.
Fear not, the station is merely upgrading.
The change will affect anybody who normally travels to Dulles Airport via the Washington Flyer bus from the West Falls Church station. A free shuttle bus will be provided between East and West Falls Church, but officials advise Metro customers to add 30 minutes to their travel time.
From Arlington County:
The long rectangular buildings that will eventually house concession stands and restrooms for the park’s multi-use athletic fields now line Old Jefferson Davis Highway. Large, bulldozed stretches of red dirt will at some point become the lush, green Esplanade and rain garden. A lone steel entrance gate sits in a construction parking lot, awaiting completion of a field around it.
Construction on the first, $50 million phase of the park, located just north of Crystal City, is expected to wrap up in September. Design work on a second phase, which includes an aquatics, health and fitness facility, started last month.
Penrose Square is now leasing its upscale apartment homes. The move-in date for tenants is set for mid-May. Billed as a “town square” for Columbia Pike, Penrose Square will feature about 300 apartments, a new, 47,000 square foot Giant supermarket, a handful of shops and a public park.
The construction of Penrose Square has required extensive utility work on the section of Columbia Pike in front of the development. As a result of the constant digging, the Pike has become rough and gravelly between South Wayne Street and South Barton Street.
According to an email from the county, contractor Clark Construction has excavated to a depth of 20 feet but is about to hit bedrock. Once it does, Clark will need to start blasting to reach the ultimate depth of 100 feet. The blasting is expected to start “in the near future.”
County officials say they’re doing everything they can to keep the noise down, including putting a concrete cap on the “blast shaft” and using “blast mats.”
By a vote of 55 to 4, members approved a $3.1 million renovation plan (see: Option C-2) that includes enhancements to the club’s three pools, more terrace space and a new clubhouse. The existing Victorian-style clubhouse, built in the 1890s and known as the Febrey-Kincheloe House, is expected to be torn down by the end of the year.
Association President Pat Shapiro says the clubhouse is in poor condition and it would be too expensive to try to safely restore it.
