The County Board is considering a new 104-page document on further integrating transportation planning into development in Arlington.
The Board on Nov. 14 is expected to set a Dec. 12 public hearing to consider the new Multimodal Transportation Plan. If adopted, the document will be incorporated into the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
Volunteer “ambassadors” could help expand efforts to reduce injuries on Arlington’s roads.
The proposal was rolled out Oct. 21 at the annual meeting of stakeholders connected to the county’s Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on county roadways by 2030.
Falls Church officials are pressing for a fast-tracked effort to create a bus rapid transit (BRT) route running through the city’s core.
At the same time, City Council members Justine Underhill and David Snyder are seeking attention to detail and careful branding for the BRT line planned to run down Route 7 from Tysons to Alexandria.
Competition among local jurisdictions could be fierce during the next round of I-395/95 “Commuter Choice” transportation funding.
Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) staff are bracing for “significant demand” from localities across Northern Virginia, said Jason Adle, an NVTC program analyst.
A blueprint for an expanded network of bus rapid transit (BRT) in Northern Virginia includes three lines passing through Falls Church.
The city was the last stop on a three-month tour for Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) CEO Monica Backmon, where she has been explaining the BRT master plan and how area governments can support it.
Two studies on traffic safety on Carlin Springs Road are expected to kick off next month.
County officials are planning two separate evaluations:
Bus ridership on Arlington Transit (ART) was up about 1.1% in the fiscal year ending in June, despite being held back by a seven-week government shutdown.
The local bus system had a ridership total of 2,669,853 passengers for the 12 months ending June 30, according to figures from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. That’s up from the 2,640,152 riders a year before.
Local leaders have mixed reactions to a planned state-funded study on a potential consolidation of bus operations in Northern Virginia.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) has called the current arrangement of separate bus networks “incredibly inefficient.” However, County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti told ARLnow that he sees the forthcoming study as unnecessary.
Transportation improvements on the Annandale Road corridor will be able to move forward in Falls Church, thanks to $30 million in newly approved regional funding.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority’s board of directors approved the funding on July 9 as part of a $776 million fiscal year 2026-31 package of projects for localities across the region. All told, $1.26 billion had been requested by participating localities.
Despite receiving most of what it wanted, Arlington came up short in winning regional funding for some key transportation projects.
Three of the county’s 13 submissions for the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority’s FY2026-31 Six-Year Program failed to be funded. A final vote was taken at the authority’s July 9 board meeting.
Arlington leaders are laying the groundwork for a 2027 referendum asking voters to increase the local sales tax from 6% to 7%.
“Arlington is very seriously considering it,” County Board member Maureen Coffey said at the July 2 meeting of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) board of directors.
County Board members have authorized the submission of three transportation improvement projects worth a combined $46 million for possible state funding.
The three proposals will now vie in the next round of “Smart Scale” funding, with winning projects receiving funding starting in 2029. They concern Arlington Blvd ramps, pedestrian facilities along N. Glebe Road and an intersection with an I-66 off-ramp.
