transportation planning

News

Residents question proposal to leave a portion of DCA pedestrian bridge uncovered

By Scott McCaffrey
Spring 2026 CC2DCA conceptual design (via Arlington County)

Plans to cover only a portion of a quarter-mile pedestrian bridge between Crystal City and Reagan National Airport are raising concerns among some local residents.

Officials from Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services have proposed to cover the CC2DCA multimodal connection on the western portion as it passes above rail lines, then on the eastern portion as it approaches the airport. For aesthetic reasons, however, the current plan is to leave the bridge open to the sky as it passes over GW Parkway.

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News

Falls Church approves e-scooter pilot program, looks for companies to sign on

By Scott McCaffrey
Lime dockless scooters on the street in Ballston (file photo)

Falls Church has formally opened its doors to e-scooters. Now it just needs to find some takers.

City Council members voted 7-0 on Monday night for a one-year pilot program, hoping to entice companies to deploy up to 100 e-scooters and e-bicycles within the community’s 2.2 square miles.

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News

Karantonis wants more transit funding requests after $40M for N. Va. is left untapped

By Scott McCaffrey
County Board member Takis Karantonis speaks at a meeting on Dec. 17, 2025 (screenshot via Arlington County)

One Arlington leader wants localities to be more aggressive in seeking transportation and transit funding along the I-66 corridor.

County Board member Takis Karantonis lamented that nearly $40 million in available funding will be left on the table in the latest round of “I-66 Commuter Choice” grants.

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News

Affordable housing proposal on Langston Blvd sparks debate on height, tree canopy

By Scott McCaffrey
Plans for the Leckey Gardens site at 2031 N. Woodrow Street (via Arlington County)

County Board members will return tonight (Tuesday) for more discussion on an affordable housing proposal on Langston Blvd following debate at a weekend meeting.

At a lengthy discussion on Saturday, Board members and the public zeroed in on remaining concerns at the Leckey Gardens Apartments site — including building height, tree canopy and parking — before deferring final action to tonight’s meeting.

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News

How changing priorities scuttled Arlington’s ambitious 1961 bridge and highway plan

By Scott McCaffrey
David Pearson discusses Arlington’s 1961 General Land Use Plan and proposed roadways (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington would be a very different place today if all the road plans of the county’s first General Land Use Plan (GLUP) — enacted in 1961 — had been constructed.

A massive arterial named Bluemont Drive would have cut east to southwest across the county. S. Four Mile Run Drive would have been much larger than its current configuration. A freeway in the Donaldson Run area would have connected to the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

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News

Transit funding fights could raise the profile of Del. McClure in 2026

By Scott McCaffrey
Del. Adele McClure, D-2 (screenshot via Northern Virginia Transportation Authority)

The unexpected departure of a major pro-transit voice in the Virginia General Assembly has created a void that an Arlington legislator appears primed to fill.

Del. Adele McClure (D-2), who sits on the House Committee on Transportation, has provided a key voice in various recent discussions on transit. In the 2026 General Assembly session, she could step into the shoes left behind by former Del. Mark Sickles (D-17), who is leaving his elected post to become Virginia’s next Secretary of Finance.

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News

Higher towing fees and taxi fares to be considered at County Board meeting

By Scott McCaffrey
A-1 Towing is among firms authorized to conduct trespass tows in Arlington (file staff photo by James Jarvis)

Potential increases to towing fees and taxi rates are on the agenda as County Board members close out 2025.

Both matters will be considered at the Board meeting on Saturday, Dec. 13.

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News

Sen. Ebbin to prioritize transit funding in upcoming legislative session

By Scott McCaffrey
Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-39 (via SJ28 Subcommittee)

State Sen. Adam Ebbin has promised Arlington leaders that he will push to bring home more transit funding from the 2026 General Assembly session.

“That’ll probably be the most intense of the things I’m working on,” Ebbin (D-39) said during a Nov. 13 work session between County Board members and the community’s legislative delegation.

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News

County Board orders more study of towing fees before considering changes

By Scott McCaffrey
A-1 Towing is among firms authorized to conduct trespass tows in Arlington (file staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Arlington County Board has requested more study on possible increases to towing rates before making a decision.

Board members unanimously rejected a staff and advisory-panel recommendation to hold a November public hearing and potentially increase maximum towing rates from the current $155 ($135 plus $20 surcharge) to as much as $210.

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News

Additional Langston Blvd turning lane could ease congestion in East Falls Church

By Scott McCaffrey
Intersection of Langston Blvd and Washington Blvd at I-66 (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A second left-turn on Langston Blvd could help ease a major rush-hour traffic choke point in East Falls Church, county staff believe.

Later this month, County Board members will be asked to request $1.5 million from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for another turning lane from eastbound Langston Blvd onto westbound Washington Blvd adjacent to Interstate 66.

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News

Falls Church is about to start building its first roundabout

By Scott McCaffrey
The Falls Church roundabout proposal (via City of Falls Church)

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.

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News

County Board adopts new transportation vision, falling short of some advocates’ transit goals

By Scott McCaffrey
An Arlington Transit (ART) bus in Ballston (file photo)

A newly adopted vision statement affirms Arlington County’s commitment to supporting modes of transportation other than cars, but falls short of some advocates’ ambitions.

County Board members, who adopted the statement and associated goals at a Saturday meeting, defended the new language as aspirational while also being realistic about the current state of transit in Arlington.

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