News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A flag drapes in the windless morning air as the sun rises over Virginia Square (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

More on Ped Struck in Ballston — From Dave Statter: “UPDATE: @ArlingtonVaPD reports the person struck Friday outside Harris Teeter on N. Glebe was seriously hurt. The driver ‘was cited.'” [Twitter]

Evictions Rising — “Eviction filings have been on the rise across parts of Virginia and, in some areas, have surpassed pre-pandemic levels… Eviction filings have soared even more in Arlington County, increasing by nearly 13% during the first quarter of 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels.” [WTOP]

APS Looks to Add Office Space — “In a world where tenants are departing and downsizing commercial office space in droves, why is the staff leadership of the Arlington school system trying to rent more of it? That was a question not just taxpayers, but several School Board members, seem to have as a proposal moves forward for the school system to spend $186,000 next year – and more every succeeding year – to rent additional office space in its leased headquarters facility.” [Gazette Leader]

Courthouse Metro Missed Connection — “Dear PoPville, I’m hoping you can help me with a true Cinderella story! We both got on the same metro stop at Courthouse around 8:30 on Wed morning (8/2). He wore black Keds with black socks — quite a slick combo. I wasn’t caffeinated enough to muster up the courage to say hello.” [PoPville]

Indecent Exposure in Courthouse — “2100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 7:42 a.m. on August 2, police were dispatched to the report of an exposure. Upon arrival, officers made telephone contact with the female victim who stated she was walking in the area when she became engaged in conversation with the male suspect during which he exposed himself. Responding officers located the suspect and the investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing.” [ACPD]

General Buried at ANC Goes Viral — From a viral Twitter post: “In May of 1861, 9 year old John Lincoln ‘Johnny’ Clem ran away from his home in Newark, Ohio, to join the Union Army, but found the Army was not interested in signing on a 9 year old boy when the commander of the 3rd Ohio Regiment told him he ‘wasn’t enlisting infants,’ and turned him down.” [Twitter]

Metro Staying Open Later Sunday — “Metro will ‘Hold Up’ the final train departing from Morgan Boulevard Station on Sunday night to give the #BeyHive a ‘Flawless’ ride to and from FedEx Field. The last Silver Line train toward Ashburn on Sunday night will now depart Morgan Boulevard at 12:04 a.m. instead of 11:34 p.m., allowing concertgoers enough time to walk from the stadium to the station.” [WMATA]

It’s Friday — There is a 30% chance of showers and potential thunderstorms after 5pm today, with mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature of around 79°F accompanied by a south wind at 8 mph. Tonight, a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms lingers before 11pm, with mostly cloudy conditions and a low temperature near 68°F, along with a south wind ranging from 5 to 8 mph. [Weather.gov]

County to enforce zoning violations in Ballston public alley used by Advanced Towing

By Jo DeVoe
Advanced Towing tow truck outside the company’s lot in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 8:45 a.m. on 7/4/23) Arlington County says it is enforcing some wayward fencing and gates in a public alley abutting Advanced Towing and American Service Center.

It all started because of complaints about tow trucks for the Ballston company parking in front of “the most famous fire hydrant in Arlington County,” so named by public safety watchdog Dave Statter.

Over the last year, an anonymous Twitter account dedicated to the hydrant has made Freedom of Information Act requests to ascertain the alley’s ownership and highlight the county’s responsibility for overseeing how it is used. This inquiry sparked several complaints about illegal parking last fall.

This week, the information requests unearthed an update: the county said it owns the 5th Road N. alley, off N. Quincy Street in Ballston. It said it is working with Advanced Towing to remove a fence and American Service Center, which operates the Mercedes-Benz dealership, to remove the gates.

The owner of the “Advanced Towing Fire Hydrant” Twitter account, says highlighting the zoning code issues was not because of an ax to grind with the towing company. Instead, it was to highlight the degree to which enforcement decisions lie with the Office of the County Manager.

“You shouldn’t have to crowdsource outrage on Twitter to get the government to enforce existing parking regulations,” the account owner, who wants to remain anonymous, told ARLnow.

In a statement, county spokesman Ryan Hudson confirmed the enforcement would begin and traced the move back to citizen complaints.

“Zoning started enforcement due to the fact that these two businesses are encroaching on public land,” he says. “The genesis was a complaint about illegally parked cars in front of the fire hydrant. That led us to become aware the fence didn’t meet the clearance of 3 feet and didn’t have Zoning approval.”

The fire hydrant account posted about the wayward fence earlier this year.

A spokesperson for Advanced Towing confirmed the company is complying with the request.

“We have been in touch with the County and our fence will be open tomorrow,” an Advanced Towing spokesperson said in an email, adding that the company never put the fence up and it has been there for well over 20 years.

Arlington County approved a certificate of occupancy for the tow company but that did not amount to permission to occupy the alley, according to a copy provided to the Advanced Towing Fire Hydrant Twitter account.

While the company can occupy the alley, Hudson says the fence has to be moved back because it is encroaching into a 10-foot wide public alley. Fences on private property are allowed with proper approval — just not in a public alleyway.

“The County, not adjacent property owners or tenants, will determine how to operate and maintain the public alley,” the county spokesman said.

The alley adjacent to the American Service Center property, meanwhile, is a public alley not owned by the auto repair company.

“Gates need to remain open because they are obstructing public use of and access to the public alley,” Hudson said.

A spokeswoman for American Service Center told ARLnow she was directed “not to discuss anything with anyone.”

(more…)

Public review process kicks off for hotel redevelopment proposal near Rosslyn

By Jo DeVoe
1/5

A proposal to redevelop the Red Lion Hotel near Rosslyn is beginning its journey through the Arlington County approval process.

Local development group Orr Partners took over previously approved plans from 2019 to replace the hotel and the Ellis Arms Apartments in the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhood with a 10-story condo building and 12-story hotel.

After taking over, Orr expanded the scope of its project. Now, it intends to build on a 2.2-acre site composed of the hotel, formerly the Best Western Iwo Jima hotel, which opened in 1958, as well as the Ellis Arms and Williamsburg apartments, which were built in 1954.

Instead of a condo building and hotel, it proposes building a 446-unit, 8-story apartment complex at 1501 Arlington Blvd, bounded by Fairfax Drive to the south and the Parc Rosslyn Apartments and Belvedere Condominiums to the north.

Existing conditions at the Red Lion Hotel site (via Arlington County)

“We think it will revitalize this neighborhood and bring critically needed housing to Arlington County,” Tyler Orr of Orr Partners said in a video. “Our company has been honored to deliver numerous projects in Arlington County over the last 35 years. In all our projects, we seek to enhance the fabric of the surrounding community, be considerate of our neighbors and give something back with any new community we deliver.”

In exchange for razing the two 14-unit apartment buildings, Orr says the company will provide on-site affordable housing.

That has to amount to at least 28 units or the same square footage lost to redevelopment, according to county planner Adam Watson. He said in a video that Orr is held to this standard because it is building on a site that is mostly designated a “special affordable housing protection district.”

Watson said county staffers are working with Orr on an affordable housing plan that replaces the lost housing.

Presentation materials from Orr say the proposal mostly includes a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, though there are 15 two-bedroom “junior” apartments and 12 three-bedroom units, which are at a premium in Arlington County.

Orr Partners intends to reach LEED Gold certification and plans to include three courtyards as well as at- and below-grade, at a rate of 0.57 spaces per unit.

“Architecturally, the base of the building is scaled to respect the heights of the residential developments along the Arlington Blvd corridor,” architect Chris Gordon said in the Orr presentation. “The design incorporates various techniques to break up the massing, through alternating materials, use of color, textures and providing interior courtyards out to Arlington Blvd beginning at third-level amenity terrace.”

He notes the structure is shaped to capture “primary views of the Capital mall” and to bring together amenities so “all residents to engage in this terrific location.”

Orr Partners is also leaving enough space in its development to allow Arlington County to reconstruct the Arlington Blvd Trail that is across street, says county planner Adam Watson. Base engineering for that project is in progress.

The county is asking for feedback on the proposal related to land use, building form, architecture, transportation, landscaping and public space and community benefits.

After the feedback form closes later this month, the first Site Plan Review Committee meeting will be held in September, followed by a second in October. Meetings for commission and Arlington County Board approval have yet to be scheduled.

Arlington County still assessing damage from Saturday’s storm

By ARLnow.com
1/10

The impacts from Saturday’s severe storms were so widespread that Arlington County is still assessing damage.

Power has since been restored to the more than 34,000 Dominion customers in the dark after the storms, and the GW Parkway completed its reopening yesterday after crews removed hundreds of fallen and potentially hazardous trees. But other damage to both private and county property is still being addressed in Arlington.

“The storms on Saturday, July 29, caused widespread damage, resulting in power outages (both public and private buildings) and travel disruptions (caused by fallen trees),” Arlington County spokesman Ryan Hudson recounted to ARLnow. “As staff continue to assess damage, it might be some time before the ultimate impact of the storm is known.”

“County crews continue to investigate and address the tickets submitted to the online Request for Service tool,” Hudson said. “Much of the clean-up focuses on debris blocking roadways and waterways, and tree removal.”

The scale of the damage is reminiscent of the 2012 derecho, though the latter was even more widespread. Saturday’s storms concentrated more of the damage near the river and in north-central portions of Arlington, roughly between Route 50 and Langston Blvd, including the Orange Line corridor.

Still, there remains plenty to clean up.

“The Solid Waste Bureau has collected 246 tons of brush so far since Saturday,” Peter Golkin, spokesman for ARLnow’s Dept. of Environmental Services, tells ARLnow. “The average number of scheduled brush pick-ups is about 70 per day out of a max of 150 available. They’ve hit the max for Tuesday, [Wednesday and Thursday].”

Arlington residents can schedule brush pickups online.

Hudson said Arlington’s 911 call center received a total of 1,618 calls for service on Saturday between 5 p.m. and midnight, a 225% spike in call volume. The Arlington County Emergency Communications Center received a peak volumes of nearly 500 calls between 5-6 p.m.

County employees have inspected 16 homes damaged by the storm, by some combination of strong winds and falling trees, branches, and power lines. Of those, four were determined to have major or severe damage, Hudson said.

Arlington’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation has also been busy since the storm, with lots of fallen trees and branches in local parks and along busy trails.

Storm damage closed Rocky Run Park near Courthouse until it reopened yesterday. The storm also damaged power lines at Gulf Branch Nature Center, leading to a power outage and closure today.

Hollywood’s actor strike has come to Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Arlington is not exactly the Hollywood of the East, pivotal West Wing episodes aside, but the strikes rocking tinseltown have a new local front here.

The Writers Guild of America and performers union SAG-AFTRA are both on strike this summer, demanding better compensation — particularly from streaming services — as well as protections from the use of artificial intelligence in TV and film production. While most of the picket lines you see on the news are in New York or Los Angeles, strikers are out in Arlington today.

A dozen or more members of SAG-AFTRA were handing out leaflets in front of Amazon’s newly-opened HQ2 in Pentagon City this morning. Holding “Union Strong” and “SAG-AFTRA Strong” signs, the strikers were perhaps more subdued than their counterparts picketing Hollywood studio lots, but nonetheless determined to send a message to the tech giant and its Prime streaming service.

“Amazon Prime and the other major studios and streamers are refusing to negotiate a fair deal with union members, including the very people appearing in Amazon Prime Original series,” said an email sent to the Arlington Democrats Labor Caucus yesterday, obtained by ARLnow.

The strikers will be working three shifts today, starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m., according to the email.

Writers are returning to the negotiating table with Hollywood studios, various outlets reported yesterday. The dual strikes, meanwhile, are having a significant economic impact on production hubs like LA, NYC and Atlanta.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A lone shopping cart on a sidewalk along S. Glebe Road (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

GW Parkway Back Open — “It took four days of work, but all trees have finally been cleared from the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The parkway’s northern section between the Capital Beltway (I-495) in McLean and Spout Run Parkway in Arlington reopened at 9:45 a.m. [Wednesday].” [FFXnow]

Street Sweeping Starts Soon — “Street sweeping removes accumulated debris and pollutants such as sand, salt, metals, petroleum products and bacteria before they wash into streams, the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. Neighborhoods in Arlington are swept four times a year in August, October, April and June.” [Press Release]

Group Blasts Langston Blvd Plan — “Is the Arlington County government’s plan to urbanize the Langston Boulevard corridor a giveaway bonanza to developers that benefits upper-class white residents (and insulates them from negative effects) but does little to promote diversity or address some pressing needs? That’s one interpretation based on a new critique of the proposal from Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future.” [Gazette Leader]

NAACP Wants More Involved in Local Politics — “The Arlington branch of the NAACP is planning to focus some of its pre-election efforts on encouraging residents of affordable-housing communities to get involved in the political process.” [Gazette Leader]

AFAC Using Whatsapp — “The Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), a leading nonprofit organization committed to alleviating long term food insecurity in Arlington County and Northern Virginia, is proud to announce its adoption of WhatsApp, a popular and free messaging app, to strengthen communication with clients.” [Press Release]

Cyclist Struck Follow Up — “Officers with the Arlington County Police Department responded just before 4:20 p.m. to 10th Street North and North Wayne Street after receiving a report about the crash. Through an initial investigation, they were able to determine that the bicyclist, a man, was riding in the area when he was sideswiped by the striking vehicle.” [WUSA 9]

Another Cyclist Struck Wednesday — “Medics arriving on scene now at intersection of N. Lynn Street and Langston Blvd in Rosslyn for a cyclist struck by a driver. Cyclist is sitting on sidewalk, striking vehicle (a Jeep) remained on scene.” [Twitter]

Drivers Ignoring Ballston Stop Sign — “Hi, @ArlingtonVaPD. Still no noticeable enforcement of the 4-way #Stop at 9th and Quincy? I wasn’t ready, but I have seen 3 cars going 30 go straight through. Here are two videos of violations. The first is slow, but illegal. The second shows 3 cars breaking the law.” [Twitter]

Fire Department Promotion — An Arlington County firefighter with a remarkable moustache has received a promotion to lieutenant. [Twitter]

It’s Thursday — There is a slight chance of showers after 2pm, but it will be mostly sunny with a high near 86°F today. Expect a south wind of 9-11 mph with gusts up to 18 mph, and a 20% chance of precipitation. Tonight, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms mainly after 8pm, with mostly cloudy skies and a low around 70°F, accompanied by a south wind of around 10 mph. [Weather.gov]

NEW: Girl sexually assaulted by intruder, police say

By ARLnow.com
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

A girl was sexually assaulted by a man who broke into her home in the Ashton Heights neighborhood early this morning, according to police.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. on the 300 block of N. Glebe Road.

Arlington County police say the intruder touched the girl inappropriately but ended up fleeing after she kicked him and then refused to leave with him.

More, below, from an ACPD press release.

The Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is investigating a sexual assault which occurred during a residential burglary in the 300 block of N. Glebe Road.

At approximately 6:58 a.m. on August 2, police were dispatched to the report of suspicious circumstances. The preliminary investigation indicates that approximately 1:04 a.m., the juvenile female victim was awoken after the suspect gained entry into her residence and touched her inappropriately. The victim kicked the suspect and he left the scene. The suspect returned a short time later, attempted to convince the victim to leave with him and fled the scene after she refused.

The suspect is described as a White and/or Hispanic male, 25 – 45 years old, with dark hair and wearing a white shirt and light-colored shorts.

This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Detective McGuire at 703-228-4173 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.

This is the second local incident of a juvenile victim being touched inappropriately in the past few days. A boy was sexually abused on a trail near Kenmore Middle School on Sunday morning.

Available offices on the rise in Courthouse due to aging buildings

By Jo DeVoe
A vacant office building in Courthouse in December 2022 (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 5:15 p.m.) One pocket of Arlington County has the most office space on the market and seeking tenants in the D.C. area, according to a new report.

A submarket made up of Courthouse, Clarendon and Virginia Square tops the charts for its “availability rate” — which includes any offices that can be leased now or in the next year — because of its high concentration of older office buildings.

“There are a number of dated 1980s-constructed buildings that sit idle as tenants continue to re-evaluate their office needs and often move to newer or renovated buildings in different submarkets,” says Ben Plaisted, vice chairman at commercial real estate company Savills, which produced the report.

In this submarket, Arlington Economic Development staff says 80% of offices were built more than 20 years ago.

“National and regional trends show that new leases tend to prefer buildings built in the past 10 years,” the county’s economic development arm said in a statement. “As a result, submarkets with newer product tend to have lower availability and submarkets with older product tend to have higher availability.”

Across Arlington, vacancy is concentrated in older buildings: about 75% of vacant square footage is within buildings at least 30 years old, says AED.

In response, why Arlington County is trying to infuse old office buildings with a mix of emerging businesses, such as research and development, artisan workshops, breweries and distilleries, and even pickleball courts.

Office availability rates and rents in the D.C. area (courtesy Savills)

AED provided a few caveats to the report.

It says Savills combined Courthouse, Clarendon and Virginia Square into one submarket, while another real estate company, CoStar, only combines Courthouse and Clarendon. That changes the overall availability rate.

Without Virginia Square, Clarendon-Courthouse has the second-highest availability rate in Northern Virginia and the D.C. area, behind Herndon, according to July 2023 data from CoStar, AED said.

Including Virginia Square means adding one major construction project to the mix: George Mason University’s FUSE building, says AED. The new facility has over 100,000 square feet listed as available for tenants.

The economic development division also says availability rates should be taken with a grain of salt.

“Availability rates can mask available square feet, as submarkets vary greatly in size,” AED said. “Therefore, the same amount of available square footage would appear as much lower availability rates in larger submarkets.”

Like other parts of the nation, Arlington is seeing tenants seek out smaller offices in higher-quality buildings, dubbed the “flight to quality.”

Overall, the report notes Arlington has some of the highest rent prices in the D.C. area, which is due to building quality plus proximity to D.C. and Metro. Over 60% of Arlington’s office product is listed by CoStar as Class A, or those built recently with attractive amenities and high rents, among other features.

“[Tenants] are willing to pay top dollar for high quality space but by reducing their footprint, they are not increasing their overall real estate costs,” Plaisted said. “The war for talent continues to be prevalent in the market and occupiers are looking to incentivize staff to be at the office by upgrading their physical location and space.”

Not everyone is reducing their footprint, however. AED says a half-dozen Arlington-based firms, from consulting firms to to government contractors, expanded their offices over the last year.

Meanwhile, a handful of British tech firms recently opened outposts in Arlington, while shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls moved some of its offices from D.C. to National Landing.

Arlington has scored some commercial real estate wins with retention of tenants. The only notable tenant that AED says — to their knowledge — fully moved out of Arlington over the past year is the tech company Ostendio, which is now fully virtual.

Photo via Google Maps

Arlington Independent Media is in a financial hole. The county says it should look elsewhere for more funding.

By Jo DeVoe
The future home of Arlington Independent Media in Green Valley (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 5 p.m. on 7/3/23) Arlington Independent Media is Arlington’s public access TV channel, its community radio station, and a media training provider.

Under its current leadership, AIM — which was founded in 1982 — is trying to broaden its reach and uplift diverse residents. Reaching this goal, however, is hampered by messy finances: audit reports from 2018-19 show it has been losing money, while its 990s are behind schedule and staff are not getting paid on time.

Bringing Arlington Independent Media, or AIM, into the 21st century, increasing its name recognition and charting a new financial course is slow going.

Arlington County has chipped at AIM’s operating expenses recently to lessen its reliance on tax dollars — though cuts in 2018 were partially restored after public outcry, on the condition the organization would up fundraising. Meanwhile, the organization has to watch a once-reliable cable franchise agreement, which provides funding based on local cable TV subscription numbers, become increasingly unpredictable.

Arlington pays for AIM’s operational budget while revenue from the cable agreement, dubbed Public, Educational and Government (PEG) funds, go toward its capital expenses. As cable subscriptions dwindle, though, Arlington County has to decide where to prioritize funding.

Recipients for PEG funding include AIM, the broadcasts of county government meetings and work sessions, the county’s dark fiber network, and certain Arlington Public Schools initiatives.

“Our approach has been to review and consider all eligible expenses submitted to the County by AIM and other eligible entities,” spokeswoman Bryna Helfer said.

It is unclear how many people listen to and watch AIM. It has 322 paying members, down from 577 in 2019, while broadcasting metrics are too expensive and radio analytics efforts for WERA 96.7 FM are nascent, according to its CEO Whytni Kernodle. She says a better metric is its several community-based partners and its work to center diverse voices, including a scholarship for budding journalists whose parents do not speak English at home or are low-income.

“We are an outside organization that is attempting to use the power of the people to really uplift the community in general by focusing on the most marginalized,” she said.

With the operational and capital funding sources each drying up, AIM should do more fundraising, the county insists. Kernodle counters that the county controls the PEG funding and could give it to AIM but is funneling it to other initiatives and creating a backlog of PEG-eligible expenses.

“The problem is not lack of available funds or that the request is not an acceptable one under the guidelines, but that the county has other priorities for future usage of those funds,” she wrote in a March memo to the county. “This is clearly inequitable and alarmingly questionable as to appropriate usage of funds managed, not owned, by the County.”

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey told ARLnow that AIM received $660,000 in PEG funding last year. That’s actually an increase from years past, Kernodle said, chalking it up to her persistent requests — but she thinks more is warranted.

“We’re attempting to do the best we can,” she said. “What we’re trying to do is create a situation where something formed in 1982 can thrive now, and for those running it 40 years from now.”

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Plane taking off as seen from Long Bridge Park on a hazy day (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Reevesland Plan Advances — “The nearly quarter-century effort to find an appropriate use for the Reevesland farmhouse in the Boulevard Manor community seems to be over. Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) members on July 17 approved a certificate of appropriateness allowing Habitat for Humanity to renovate the circa-1900 main building and add two wings.” [Gazette Leader]

Cyclist Struck Near Courthouse — From Tuesday afternoon: “ACPD on scene of a reported hit-and-run involving a cyclist at 10th Street N. and N. Wayne Street. The cyclist lost consciousness in the crash and is unable to provide a description of the striking vehicle, per scanner.” [Twitter]

Dems Plan Unity Event — “The Arlington County Democratic Committee is hoping a ‘unity’ event will aid in smoothing over any lingering hard feelings after the Democratic County Board primary. Bob Rosen and former County Board member Jay Fisette will host the Aug. 6 gathering, to which the six candidates who competed in the primary have been invited.” [Gazette Leader]

Arlington Restaurant Inspections — “Several facilities in Arlington recorded violations during recent inspections from the Arlington County Public Health department. Inspectors conducted the most recent visits between July 20 and July 25.” [Patch]

Va. Tourism Spending Rises — “Governor Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) announced today that Virginia’s tourism industry generated $30.3 billion in visitor spending in 2022, an increase of 20.3% from 2021, exceeding 2019 levels by 4.4%. The tourism industry in Virginia directly supported 210,721 jobs in 2022, an increase of more than 25,000 jobs relative to 2021, but still down about 30,000 jobs relative to 2019.” [Press Release]

Wildfire Haze Returns — From the Capital Weather Gang: “The milky haze above DC is wildfire smoke…AGAIN. But the smoke is mostly suspended high in the sky and not affecting air quality at ground level in a big way.” [Twitter]

It’s Wednesday — Expect a pleasant and sunny day with a high temperature of about 85°F and light winds that will become southeast at around 6 mph later in the morning. By Wednesday night, the skies will become partly cloudy, and temperatures will drop to around 65°F, accompanied by south winds at about 8 mph. [Weather.gov]

VDOT seeks public feedback on possible Route 50 and Washington Blvd improvements

By James Jarvis
Two-vehicle crash on Washington Blvd ramp in May (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 8:30 p.m.) The Virginia Dept. of Transportation is exploring potential upgrades for sections of Route 50 and Washington Blvd in Arlington in response to concerns about safety and congestion.

The department is urging residents and road users to share their feedback – via an online survey through Aug. 15. Possible improvements identified by VDOT include better bike and pedestrian access, improved safety at intersections, and traffic congestion management.

The study, conducted by VDOT as part of its Project Pipeline program, will assess three-quarters of a mile of Arlington Boulevard, from Fillmore Street to N. Pershing Drive, and about a mile of Washington Boulevard, between Columbia Pike and N. Pershing Drive. The study is expected to be complete by the summer of 2024.

Any potential project solutions that come from the study may be funded through various programs, including Smart Scale (a federally funded statewide program that allocates money to states every six years for transportation projects), Revenue Sharing, and interstate funding, among others.

“The Commonwealth is partnering with Arlington County to develop targeted improvements for the Route 50 and Route 27 study that minimize community impacts and address priority needs in a cost-effective way,” VDOT said in a press release Tuesday.

The study area includes some crash-prone ramps to and from Washington Blvd and Route 50.

In addition to the online survey, comments can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to Khalil Minhas, P.E., Virginia Department of Transportation, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030.

Route 50 and Route 27 study area (via VDOT)
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