Transitway Extension to Pentagon City update
The project to extend the Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway north and west to Pentagon City has been divided into three segments. The Crystal Drive segment (from 15th Street South to 12th Street & Long Bridge Drive) is currently in the design phase, which is expected to be completed in summer 2020.
Bus test on Crystal Drive tomorrow
On Saturday morning, Aug. 3, street parking will be temporarily closed on the east side of Crystal Drive between 15th and 12th Streets and on the north side of 12th Street South near Crystal Drive.
The parking restriction will be in place from 8 am to noon. During this time, County staff will run a transit bus along the parking lane as a test for the Transitway extension project.
The north end of Crystal Drive and 12th Street were designed and constructed with a 12-foot northbound lane that is currently used for parking but will eventually become a bus-only lane. The testing, expected to last 30 minutes to one hour, will reconfirm the turning radius along this stretch is appropriate for bus sizes used in ART and Metrobus fleets.
Arlington asks VDOT to close 23rd Street pedestrian tunnel
After years of maintaining the little-used 23rd Street pedestrian tunnel that runs under Route 1 in Crystal City, the County Board last month approved a resolution to formally ask the state for the tunnel’s closure.
After improving the crosswalk and signal at this intersection over time, the County determined that closing the tunnel will not make it any harder for people to cross Route 1.
Once the agreement is executed, VDOT will mobilize its contractor to begin the deconstruction, which is anticipated to begin this fall and last approximately six weeks.
Project construction updates
Clark Street Demolition
The contractor has resumed grading activities and the spreading of top soil, and started the removal of temporary construction-related devices just south of 15th Street. Work to complete the area south of 18th Street is scheduled to start by mid-August.
Traffic signal work at the intersection of 20th Street and Route 1 will resume the week of Aug. 5. It’s scheduled to be completed in the coming weeks.
Additional demolition work to the retaining walls has been put on hold pending a design modification.
Crystal Drive Two-Way Conversion Phase 3
The contractor has completed the majority of the work on 27th Street. The asphalt milling, repaving and pavement marking application will be performed during one operation and in conjunction with the remainder of the project on Crystal Drive.
The contractor’s current work activities are concentrated on Crystal Drive. A loading area is under construction near the Hyatt hotel, stormwater facilities are being modified, street lights are being relocated, and some segments of the existing roadway are being re-aligned in order to accommodate the new two-way road cross section near the Metroway station. A new right turn lane is also being constructed for northbound traffic at 26th Street.