National Park Service | ARLnow.com

Published May 24, 2019 at 2:45PM

Diagram of proposed Gravelly Point site for the boathouse (Image via National Park Service)

Arlington County may be moving forward with plans to build the long-awaited boathouse in Rosslyn, but some are wondering why a site at Gravelly Point wasn’t chosen instead.

National Park Service spokesman Aaron LaRocca tells ARLnow that Rosslyn was chosen because “it best meets the purpose and need statement in the [environmental assessment] to enhance waterfront access and provide a boathouse facility along the Virginia shore of the Potomac for non-motorized, water based recreation” better than Gravelly Point.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 21, 2019 at 7:25AM

Metro Removes 3000-Series from Service — “Metro overnight temporarily removed all 3000-series cars from service after we received a report of a door malfunction for which we need to identify the cause. This voluntary safety action reduces the number of available rail cars by ~15%” [Twitter, Twitter]

Courthouse Hotel May Become Apartments — “The owner of an Arlington hotel is now hoping to flip the building into residential space instead. The Arlington Court Suites Hotel in Courthouse could soon become a 180-unit apartment building dubbed ‘Park Arlington at Courthouse,’ according to plans filed with the county this week.” [Washington Business Journal]

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Board Vote Would Move County ‘One Paddle Closer’ to Rosslyn Boathouse

By Airey

Published May 13, 2019 at 3:35PM

Diagram of planned boathouse structures (via Arlington County)

Arlington County Board is scheduled to vote on the latest step in the decades-long plan to build a Rosslyn boathouse.

On Saturday, members are set to consider a “programmatic agreement” to build a boathouse at 1101 Lee Highway in Rosslyn, which would allow non-motorized boats like kayaks to launch into the Potomac from Arlington’s shore.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Sinkhole Closes Northbound GW Parkway

By ARLnow.com

Published May 10, 2019 at 10:45PM | Updated May 13, 2019 at 11:50AM

Update at 11:50 a.m. on 5/13/19 — Per the National Park Service: “Due to continued rain, the National Park Service now hopes to reopen one lane in time for the evening rush hour on Tuesday, May 14. If this schedule changes, we will share an update.”

Earlier: The northbound lanes of the GW Parkway are closed just north of Arlington due to a large sinkhole.

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NoVa Congressional Delegation Pushes for Funding for Major GW Parkway Rehab Work

By Alex Koma

Published January 17, 2019 at 4:15PM

GW Parkway rehabilitation project (via National Park Service)

Federal officials think they have a good shot at winning $126 million in grant funds to make a series of badly needed repairs on a long section of the GW Parkway, and Northern Virginia’s congressional delegation is throwing its weight behind the effort.

The National Park Service, which maintains the road, is currently applying for a hefty U.S. Department of Transportation grant to fund rehabilitation work on a roughly eight-mile-long stretch of the parkway, as it runs between the Spout Run Parkway in Rosslyn and I-495. Now, both of Virginia’s senators and three local members of Congress are lending their support to the funding push, in a bid to finally afford some changes on the aging roadway.

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Planners Plot Out Changes Aimed at Reducing Crashes at Memorial Circle

By Alex Koma

Published December 6, 2018 at 10:45AM | Updated December 6, 2018 at 11:12AM

Construction at Memorial Circle (via NPS)

Transportation officials are proposing a host of safety improvements for Memorial Circle, a confusing confluence of roads connecting Arlington National Cemetery to the Arlington Memorial Bridge.

The circle has long been the site of all manner of dangerous crashes, particularly those involving cyclists and pedestrians looking to access the nearby Mt. Vernon Trail or cross into D.C. But the National Park Service has drawn up a series of changes for the roads in the area designed to address the issue, including traffic pattern changes to transform the circle into something more like a traditional roundabout.

Traffic

Memorial Bridge Construction Creates Big Headaches for Monday Morning Commuters

By Alex Koma

Published October 15, 2018 at 1:45PM

A map of traffic conditions around the Memorial Bridge as construction work starts (via Google Maps)

Major construction work on the Arlington Memorial Bridge kicked off late last night (Sunday), snarling traffic for thousands of commuters headed into D.C. this morning.

Traffic cameras and maps showed heavy backups along both I-395 and Washington Blvd approaching the bridge for the morning rush hour. Other nearby roads, like the G.W. Parkway and Arlington Blvd, also saw heavy delays, no doubt worsened by the morning’s dreary conditions.

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Mt. Vernon Trail Blocked After Construction Equipment Damages Bridge

By ARLnow.com

Published October 2, 2018 at 3:10PM | Updated October 2, 2018 at 5:01PM

Construction equipment that fell through a wooden bridge on the Mt. Vernon Trail (via BikeArlington Forum)

The Mt. Vernon Trail is currently blocked near Roosevelt Island after someone tried to drive a piece of large construction equipment over a rickety wooden bridge.

The wooden plank bridge carries trail traffic in the area of Roosevelt Island and the Roosevelt Bridge, near Rosslyn. It is noted for being slippery when wet and generally uneven at all times, causing bikes to shake as cyclists ride over it.

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More Severe Flooding on the GW Parkway Near DCA Unlikely, Park Service Says

By Alex Koma

Published August 2, 2018 at 10:45AM

There may be yet more rain in the forecast, fresh on the heels of last month’s persistent storms, but don’t expect to see the sort of flooding that trapped dozens of people in their cars on the GW Parkway two weeks back.

That’s the word from National Park Service officials, who believe the waves of water covering the parkway back on July 17 were more a fluke than anything else.

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JUST IN: Park Service Selects Location Near Rosslyn as Preferred Site for Boathouse

By Alex Koma

Published June 29, 2018 at 9:45AM

Plans for a new boathouse in Rosslyn (via the National Park Service)

A decades-long effort to build a boathouse along the banks of the Potomac River is lurching forward once more.

Officials with the National Park Service have wrapped up an environmental analysis of the project and settled on a preferred alternative near Rosslyn for its construction, in the latest bit of forward momentum for an initiative that has long bedeviled county leaders.

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Capital Bikeshare May Come To Roosevelt Island, Gravelly Point

By Bridget Reed Morawski

Published April 18, 2018 at 10:55AM

Arlington may get two new Capital Bikeshare stations, at Roosevelt Island and Gravelly Point.

The County Board is set to approve a “memorandum of understanding” with the National Park Service, which has to approve the bikeshare stations since they would be located on NPS land.