President Donald Trump has been floating plans for a new arch monument at a heavily trafficked roundabout near Arlington National Cemetery.
Depicting a winged “Lady Liberty” flanked by two eagles, the monument — called “Independence Arch” in mock-ups but now known by the informal name “Arc de Trump” — would stand in a traffic circle on the Virginia side of Memorial Bridge, about a quarter mile from the Arlington Cemetery Metro station.
Work on a permanent roundabout at the intersection of Military Road and Nelly Custis Drive is moving forward, but it won’t be finished for a couple years.
The project, which follows temporary changes to the intersection in 2021, will involve widening sidewalks, upgrading utilities and installing a rain garden at the center of the roundabout.
Construction work on the first traffic circle in Falls Church is gearing up.
Signs are in place for the project at S. Maple Avenue and Annandale Road, which will convert the existing four-way stop with traffic lights into what transportation planners hope will be a better travel experience.
The Falls Church City Council has voted to pursue eminent domain in order to build the city’s first traffic circle.
Several Council members voiced unease at the idea of setting unwelcome precedent, but ultimately took the gloves off on Monday in an 18-month battle to obtain a key easement.
The clock is ticking for Falls Church officials to approve the construction of a traffic roundabout at Annandale Road and S. Maple Avenue.
The Virginia Department of Transportation “is breathing down our neck to get this done,” City Manager Wyatt Shields said at a Wednesday agenda-setting session with Mayor Letty Hardi and City Council members.
A nearly $20 million project to make Boundary Channel Drive and the I-395 interchange near Crystal City and the Pentagon safer has resulted in significant traffic pattern changes.
Last week, the Virginia Dept. of Transportation permanently closed two ramps: the southbound I-395 ramp to eastbound Boundary Channel Drive and the eastbound Boundary Channel Drive ramp to southbound I-395.
Arlington County has not ruled out the possibility of a permanent roundabout on Military Road despite the confusion a temporary version has caused for the past year.
In October 2021, where there used to be a stop sign for traffic on northbound Military Road, the county added paint lines, bollards and raised temporary curbs, and partially demolished a median. The work was aimed at improving safety where Military Road intersects with Nelly Custis Drive.
A temporary roundabout along Military Road has garnered strong feelings as a deadline for community feedback nears.
The pilot project at Military Road and Nelly Custis Drive launched in October, with bollards in place to direct traffic around the center, and has reduced speeds on all approaches, according to data the county recently released. Benefits to pedestrians are less clear, as vehicle rates were varied and there were small sample sizes for pedestrian crossings.
(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) There’s a new temporary traffic circle along Military Road aimed at improving safety where it intersects with Nelly Custis Drive.
Where there used to be a stop sign for traffic on northbound Military Road, the county has added paint lines, bollards and raised temporary curbs, and partially demolished a median. The work was completed Saturday, according to a spokesman with the Arlington Department of Environmental Services.
Local Unemployment Rate Improves — “Arlington’s jobless rate continued to improve in October… the county’s unemployment rate of 4.1 percent in October represented a decline from 4.5 percent in September, according to data reported Dec. 3 by the Virginia Employment Commission. Despite the improvement, the county’s jobless picture has significant more room for recovery. A year ago, the jobless rate stood at a rock-bottom 1.7 percent.” [InsideNova]
Custis Trail Roundabout ‘Fully Open’ — “The Custis Trail has reopened under I-66 near Arlington’s Bon Air Park as overhead work on I-66 progresses for VDOT’s Transform 66 Inside the Beltway Eastbound Widening Project. With the underpass re-opened, the new trail roundabout is fully open and the detour is no longer needed… Lighting is planned to be installed in early 2021.” [VDOT]
