The curbside lane will be closed due to tree removal work. (Photo via Arlington County)
Overview of the Old Dominion sidewalk project site (Map via Arlington County)
Planning for the completion of the sidewalk began in 2014. (Photo via Arlington County)
The County Board is set to approve a construction contract that would install the final “missing link” of sidewalk along Old Dominion Drive.
Sidewalk installation would run along the eastbound side of Old Dominion Drive, between N. Thomas Street and Fire Station No. 3. The fire station is approximately 440 feet from Military Road.
Proposed sidewalk enhancements include “ADA curb ramps, crosswalks, and provisions for future streetlights.”
This is the last section of sidewalk installed on Old Dominion Drive east of 37th Street N. County documents note that the project has been coordinated with the nearby Stratford School Project.
Tree removal along Old Dominion Road began earlier this year in anticipation of sidewalk construction.
The County Manager’s office has recommended approving the $789,324 contract to the Capitol Heights, Md.-based Sagres Construction Corporation.
The Arlington County Board is set to approve a $2.6 million contract for the design of interior upgrades to the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center in Courthouse.
County staff has recommended awarding the contract, including a five percent contingency, to Architecture, Inc., a Reston, Va., company. County Board members are expected to consider the approval during its Saturday, March 17 meeting.
The project will be funded by the landlord, JBG Smith, which provided a $23.7 million tenant improvement allowance following lease extension negotiations last year. The County will also occupy the 2100 Clarendon Boulevard building rent-free from Nov. 1, 2018 through Oct. 31, 2019, which the county estimates will save $9.9 million.
There is also an expected broker rebate of $2.5 million.
The 235,000-square-foot building sits at the intersection of a new pedestrian safety improvement project. According to county documents, it has been 12 years since the building’s last renovation.
Nauck Town Center demolition (photo by Daniel Wanke via Instagram)
The demolished Nauck office building (photo via Arlington County)
A bee warning sign (photo via Arlington County)
A bee keeper relocating bees (photo via Arlington County)
Nauck Town Center rendering (via Arlington County)
Nauck Town Center rendering (via Arlington County)
Nauck Town Center rendering (via Arlington County)
Demolition has begun in preparation for the Nauck Town Center project, and the neighbors might not be the only ones buzzing with interest.
The building torn down last week is none other than the former home of about 70,000 honey bees, which the county relocated in July 2017 after realizing they had not only purchased a former office building but an apiary abode as well.
The aging building had only been vacant for about four months, according to the county, but about 100 pounds of honey were already generated by the time that local beekeepers swooped in to relocate move the hive.
The demolition is one of the final steps in the project’s first pre-construction phase. Utility undergrounding and site perimeter streetscaping will start fall 2018 and end spring 2019.
The second phase of Nauck Town Square project construction is scheduled to begin in the spring or summer of 2019 and wrap up by the winter of 2020. Pre-construction for phase two will begin spring 2018 and last through winter 2019.
The Nauck Town Center project, which has been years in the making, includes an open plaza, outdoor stage, public art, tables and seating and sidewalk improvements, along with displays about the history of the community, which was settled by free African-Americans in 1844. The design includes a large sculpture of the word “FREED.”
Rendering of the Custis Trail safety improvements, via Arlington County.
Rendering of the Custis Trail safety improvements, via Arlington County.
Rendering of the Custis Trail safety improvements, via Arlington County.
Safety improvements on three Custis Trail intersections have begun.
The project will reconfigure bike lanes at N. Quinn and N. Scott streets, as well as widen the Custis Trail. Other safety improvements include curb extensions, ADA-compliant curb ramps, trail separation from Lee Highway, and crosswalks with higher visibility.
Construction has temporarily closed a lane of Lee Highway. Jersey barriers have been erected to form a bike detour along the right-hand, westbound lane of Lee Highway between N. Scott Street and N. Oak Street.
At least one Arlington bicyclist took to social media to cheer on the bicycling infrastructure, saying the jersey barriers were “better than 99 percent of bike facilities in the U.S.”
In addition to the Lee Highway lane closure, the north legs of the intersection at both N. Scott Street and N. Oak Street will be restricted to one lane. Northbound traffic will be permitted only at the N. Scott Street intersection, while southbound traffic will be permitted only at N. Oak Street intersection, according to the county.
Detour signs will be present to guide drivers out of the North Highlands neighborhood.
The bus stop for the ART 55 and WMATA 3Y buses will be relocated from the construction zone to the west side of the N. Scott Street and Lee Highway intersection. Part of the construction includes plans for an improved bus stop with a bench.
Project funding comes from a Federal Highway Administration bicycle and pedestrian safety program grant.
Work hours are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, and between 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays. The project web page notes that construction is anticipated to wrap up at all three points in May.
The Custis Trail project is being done in concert with the N. Lynn Street esplanade project, for which the Arlington County approved additional funding this week.
Cars, bikes and pedestrians fight for space at Lee Highway and N. Lynn Street. (file photo)
Lynn Street Esplanade curb and trail extension
Cars and bicyclists fight for space at Lee Highway and N. Lynn Street.
Lynn Street Esplanade curb and trail extension (via Arlington County)
A traffic camera view via Arlington County of the intersection at I-66 and N. Lynn Street.
The Arlington County Board approved $1.4 million in additional funding for the N. Lynn Street and Lee Highway esplanade and safety enhancement project.
The Virginia Department of Transportation came to county officials with a cost estimate significantly higher than the initial $7.95 million price tag, which was approved by the Board in December 2016.
The increase is due to lengthened construction time, increased materials and labor costs since the 2016 estimate and design changes relating to traffic plans, according to the county manager’s report. Initially, the call for construction bids in March 2017 only received one bidder, which was rejected “due to previous established restriction on the bidder by VDOT,” according to the manager’s recommendation.
The project will bring pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements, such as wider sidewalks and on-street bike lanes, as well as traffic management and street beautification to the N. Lynn Street and Custis Trail area. A public arts project, the long-delayed Corridor of Light project, will also be installed, but only at the four corners of the I-66 bridge.
Safety is a significant component of the project. The intersection of Lynn Street and Lee Highway, once dubbed the “Intersection of Doom,” has been the scene of numerous vehicle vs. pedestrian crashes over the past few years, though collisions are down since interim safety improvements have been installed
The Board unanimously approved the increase in budget at its Tuesday meeting. Project construction should wrap up by May 2020.
Contact sheet for S. Highland Street construction area
A new residential development is under construction just south of Columbia Pike.
The development, first approved in 2009, is described as “a residential project for 36 condominium units within 12 townhouse structures.” It is currently under construction at 1100 S. Highland Street, behind the Audi dealership, and along what it planned as a future extension of 11th Street S.
The permit holder is listed as the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC), which has offices at 901 S. Highland Street, about two blocks away from the construction site. Construction permits were first approved in late September last year.
ECDC did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ARLnow.
Spokes Etc. to Take Over Freshbikes Store — Northern Virginia bike retailer Spokes Etc. is expected to open in the former Freshbikes location in Ballston by the end of March. “[Spokes Etc. President Jim] Strang said the store will stock his main brands, which are Specialized and Trek, and he plans to pick up one or two boutique bike brands to complement them.” [Bicycle Retailer, Spokes Etc.]
Arlington Near Last for Snowfall on East Coast — Based on a chart from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Arlington and D.C. ranked 65th among 68 eastern U.S. cities for snowfall this season, with a measly 3.3 inches. Only three deep south cities recorded less snowfall than has been reported at Reagan National Airport. [Patch]
More DCA Construction Impacts — Due to construction, Metro walkway airline kiosks and bag drops for Delta and American Airlines at Reagan National Airport are being relocated to the National Hall in Terminal B/C today. [Twitter]
Travelers heading to or from Reagan National Airport should get ready for traffic impacts from construction starting next week.
Work will begin overnight from Monday, February 19 into Tuesday to prepare the building foundation for the new security checkpoints.
Roadway disruptions will initially be confined to overnight lane closures near terminal B/C, but will extend into the afternoon and evening hours later in the spring.
A project press release adds that “some temporary changes are coming inside the terminal that will affect the airline check-in process for some passengers.”
Nicknamed “Project Journey,” the one billion dollar infrastructure enhancement is scheduled to run through 2021. The finished project will bring two 50,000-square-foot buildings with security checkpoints, replacing three smaller checkpoints at terminal B/C. A new 14-gate concourse is in the works, which will include an American Airlines members lounge, replacing the notoriously difficult to access Gate 35X.
The airport has vastly outgrown its original passenger projections. It now serves about 24 million travelers a year, as opposed to the 14 million it was built to accommodate.
Rendering of new apartment building under construction at Potomac Yard
Construction underway on The Sur
Location of new apartment building under construction at Potomac Yard
Construction underway on The Sur
A 360-unit luxury apartment complex has broken ground in Potomac Yard.
The new 12-story building, to be called The Sur, will have 16,000 square feet of retail space and another 25,000 square feet of shared amenities space. Units range from 557 square foot studios to 1,419 square foot three bedroom apartments. High-end features include a dog spa, a rooftop spa and a “party room.”
Situated on the site of the neighborhood’s namesake former major railroad switchyard, The Sur will be across from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s south end.
On-site construction hours on the site at 3400 Potomac Avenue have been approved from 7 a.m. through 9 p.m. on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
The development was originally approved in 2007, but Courthouse-based developer Erkiletian Development Co. sought minor modifications to the plan this past September. The site plan amendment was ultimately given the greenlight by the Arlington County Board.
Several plastic pipes washed away from a construction project on the I-395 bridge into Four Mile Run after a downpour of rain Sunday.
The I-395 project between the Shirlington interchange and Glebe Road currently uses 35 plastic pipes to redirect water in Four Mile Run away from the work area. The rain’s movement of the pipes did not harm the construction project, said Jennifer McCord, a Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson.
Workers are currently moving the pipes out of the creek by hand and should be done with the removal sometime today or tomorrow, McCord said. She added that she is unsure if the pipes will be put back into place as they may no longer be needed for the project.
Planning for the completion of the sidewalk began in 2014. (Photo via Arlington County)
The project will complete a sidewalk on the south side of Old Dominion Drive. (Photo via Arlington County)
The curbside lane will be closed due to tree removal work. (Photo via Arlington County)
The curbside lane along eastbound Old Dominion Drive will be closed today, tomorrow and on Monday as the county removes trees to make way for a new sidewalk.
Closures will remain in effect from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Monday and from 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. tomorrow. The “missing link” sidewalk project is anticipated to begin construction this spring/summer with completion expected in spring 2019.
Once trees are removed, utility adjustments will begin to complete the sidewalk from the south side of Old Dominion Drive from Cherrydale Firehouse to N. Thomas Street.
The county has allocated $1.15 million for the project, a spokeswoman said.
