construction

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Capital Bikeshare Stations Launch in Rosslyn — Four Capital Bikeshare stations were quietly installed around Rosslyn on Saturday. There were no public notices or proclamations before the installation — unlike earlier in the week when officials announced that four stations were to be installed on Wednesday. The county followed up that announcement with a notice that the installation was delayed indefinitely. Update at 12:05 p.m. — See info on the installations from Bike Arlington. [Patch]

Humpback Bridge Work Nears Completion — The National Park Service expects construction on the Humpback Bridge reconstruction project to wrap up in mid-June. The final construction phase will allow a full merge from I-395 onto the northbound GW Parkway. [WTOP]

Bengali New Year Celebrated on the Pike — The local Bengali community came together for their traditional New Years celebration on Saturday. Despite the wet weather, Bengalis gathered near Columbia Pike for a parade, musical performances, dancing and ethnic food. [Pike Wire]

County Pay Raises in the Works? — On Saturday, Arlington County Board members instructed County Manager Barbara Donnellan to proceed with a study of county workers’ compensation, which some within county government believe is too low. Also on Saturday, the County Board voted to raise their own pay ceiling from $49,000 to $57,337. While board members won’t be getting any more money this year, the move opens up the possibility of a pay raise next year. [Sun Gazette]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Route 50 Interchange Project Nears — In March, we were told that the lane closure on westbound Route 50 would finally be lifted by around this time. That’s still yet to be seen, but some new closures are just around the corner. Dr. Gridlock reports that VDOT plans to start construction on a new Route 50/Courthouse Road/Fairfax Drive interchange next month, with nightly traffic disruptions. The $39 million project is expected to wrap up in Fall 2013. [Dr. Gridlock]

Arlington’s Fuel Bill Going Up — Arlington County could spend hundreds of thousands of additional dollars on gasoline this year, thanks to rising gas prices. The county’s vehicle fleet — which includes fuel-sipping Toyota Priuses — consumes about a million gallons of gas every year. [Washington Examiner]

Emergency Personnel Honored for Valor — The Arlington Chamber of Commerce held its 29th annual Valor Awards ceremony on Tuesday. The event honored police, sheriff, fire and EMS personnel whose selfless work has saved lives. Among those honored was Jason Hart and Mark Jaquays, who managed to save the life of a young man who was painting a house last summer when his ladder touched a power line. [Sun Gazette]

Real Estate Prices Up, Inventory Down –– The sale price of Arlington residential real estate surged last month. Condos and townhouses in particular were both up by double digit percentages. Also, real estate inventory was down significantly compared to 2010. [Arlington Real Estate News]

Flickr pool photo by Aaron Webb

Rosslyn Blasting Will Begin Early Thursday Morning

By ARLnow.com

Blasting on the Rosslyn Metrorail entrance project will begin in the wee hours of this coming Thursday morning. From Arlington County:

Controlled blasting is scheduled to begin at the Rosslyn Metrorail Station Project site (immediately across from the Station entrance on N. Moore Street) during the early morning of Thursday, March 31.  Initial blasting will occur nightly between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Due to the small area of the excavation site, minimal noise and vibration are expected. One block of N. Moore Street, between 19th Street North and Wilson Blvd., will be closed during blasting hours only.

A strobe light will be used to signal when blasting is taking place. The blasting is expected to continue through early 2012.

Construction Worker Pulls Gun During Argument

By ARLnow.com

Police are looking for a construction worker who reportedly pulled a gun during an argument near Crystal City.

Initial reports suggest other construction workers were able to wrestle the gun away from the man after he brandished it during an argument at a construction site at Old Jefferson Davis Highway and S. Clark Street.

The man fled on foot wearing an orange reflective vest and a hard hat, which police have since located. Police are setting up a perimeter to try to find the man.

It’s unclear if the man was working at the Long Bridge Park construction site or on one of several other projects in the area.

Update at 9:45 a.m. — The search has been called off.

Lyon Park Shell Station Is Closed, But Not For Good

By ARLnow.com

Several people have emailed us and asked about the Shell station at 2835 Washington Boulevard in Lyon Park. Fences have been erected around the station and heavy equipment brought in to dig up the concrete around the pumps. That has led some to fear that another area gas station might have fallen victim to development.

Fear not, the station is merely upgrading.

County records show that the station is replacing three underground 10,000 gallon tanks. The construction crew is merely digging to reach the tanks.

Workers we talked to said the station will likely be closed for about a month.

Metro Work to Cut Off Service Between East, West Falls Church

By ARLnow.com

On-going work on the Dulles Metrorail project will cut off service between East Falls Church and West Falls Church over the next two weekends.

The change will affect anybody who normally travels to Dulles Airport via the Washington Flyer bus from the West Falls Church station. A free shuttle bus will be provided between East and West Falls Church, but officials advise Metro customers to add 30 minutes to their travel time.

From Arlington County:

There will be no train service between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations during the weekends of March 11 to 13 and March 18 to 20 to allow the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to continue major construction activities that will eventually connect the new rail line to the existing Metrorail system.

From 10 p.m., Friday, March 11 to closing (midnight) on Sunday, March 13, and again the following weekend from 10 p.m., Friday, March 18 to closing (midnight) on Sunday, March 20, the Orange Line will be split in two sections, the first running from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU to West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations, and the second between the New Carrollton and East Falls Church Metrorail stations. The East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations will remain open.

To help riders get through the work zone, Metro will operate free shuttle buses between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations. Customers should add an extra 30 minutes into their travel plans if they need to pass through the work zone. To alert customers about this work, Metro will send e-Alerts, post signs in key stations, place notices on station kiosks, advertise in local papers and make train and system announcements. Additional information will be available on Metro’s web site at www.MetroOpensDoors.com. Extra Metro employees will be available at the East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations to help customers navigate around the weekend closures using the free shuttle bus service. During these two weekends, the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project contractors will test critical infrastructure support systems which are necessary to connect the new rail line to the Orange Line.

Metro personnel will also be working between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations installing new rail, new ties and new insulators to make it a smoother ride for Orange Line customers

Long Bridge Park Takes Shape Near Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

We’re about one year into the construction of Long Bridge Park and some of the park’s features are starting to take shape.

The long rectangular buildings that will eventually house concession stands and restrooms for the park’s multi-use athletic fields now line Old Jefferson Davis Highway. Large, bulldozed stretches of red dirt will at some point become the lush, green Esplanade and rain garden. A lone steel entrance gate sits in a construction parking lot, awaiting completion of a field around it.

Construction on the first, $50 million phase of the park, located just north of Crystal City, is expected to wrap up in September. Design work on a second phase, which includes an aquatics, health and fitness facility, started last month.

The park will have breathtaking views of the Potomac and the D.C. skyline, but don’t don’t expect to attend any outdoor concerts there. The noise from planes taking off and landing at nearby Reagan National Airport is deafening.

The Long Bridge Park construction project kicked off last March, with the official groundbreaking ceremony held a month later. Since then, heavy equipment has only made the ill-kept road that runs next to the park site even more treacherous.

Old Jefferson Davis Highway, which connects Crystal City with Boundary Channel Drive, is a disaster zone, with potholes the size of Honda Civic tires. Although it’s eventually slated to be repaved, but until then it probably should only be traversed with a truck or SUV.

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Pike Roadwork Planned as Penrose Square Nears Completion

By ARLnow.com

Construction crews are starting to wrap up work on the massive Penrose Square development on Columbia Pike. As the project nears completion, county officials are preparing to do some rehab work on the rough stretch of pavement in front of the development.

Penrose Square is now leasing its upscale apartment homes. The move-in date for tenants is set for mid-May. Billed as a “town square” for Columbia Pike, Penrose Square will feature about 300 apartments, a new, 47,000 square foot Giant supermarket, a handful of shops and a public park.

The construction of Penrose Square has required extensive utility work on the section of Columbia Pike in front of the development. As a result of the constant digging, the Pike has become rough and gravelly between South Wayne Street and South Barton Street.

Arlington County Department of Environmental Services spokeswoman Mylisa Kennedy says the county expects to start repaving the roadway in April. Sidewalk and curb work, meanwhile, is set to start next week.

The Penrose Project is in the final stages of the infrastructure upgrades and installations. All wet utilities have been installed and over 90 percent of the dry utilities, or undergrounding, has also been installed. We will begin to demolish and install new sidewalk, curb and gutter on Columbia Pike beginning Monday February 21st and we expect to begin the final paving the first week in April. In the meantime, staff will continue to monitor and restore the roadway to keep it safe for vehicular traffic. Hopefully, this will all be restored and looking better in the coming weeks ahead.

Rosslyn, Get Ready for Some Blasting

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County is warning Rosslyn workers and residents to expect some blasting as a result of work on a new entrance to the Rosslyn Metro station.

According to an email from the county, contractor Clark Construction has excavated to a depth of 20 feet but is about to hit bedrock. Once it does, Clark will need to start blasting to reach the ultimate depth of 100 feet. The blasting is expected to start “in the near future.”

County officials say they’re doing everything they can to keep the noise down, including putting a concrete cap on the “blast shaft” and using “blast mats.”

“Blasting is often a standard practice for excavation and due to the small footprint of the work site, the contractor anticipates minimal noise and vibration,” the county said. “Close coordination has occurred with all partners on the construction project, including the Arlington County Fire Marshall, Police Department, Metro, and others.”

The actual time of day when blasting will occur and possible street closures are currently being worked out with the Fire Marshal’s office.

Club’s Renovation Plan Includes Tearing Down 1890s House

By ARLnow.com

Members of the Overlee Community Association (6020 Lee Highway) voted last night to move forward with a renovation plan that includes tearing down a late 19th century structure that currently serves as the association’s clubhouse.

By a vote of 55 to 4, members approved a $3.1 million renovation plan (see: Option C-2) that includes enhancements to the club’s three pools, more terrace space and a new clubhouse. The existing Victorian-style clubhouse, built in the 1890s and known as the Febrey-Kincheloe House, is expected to be torn down by the end of the year.

Association President Pat Shapiro says the clubhouse is in poor condition and it would be too expensive to try to safely restore it.

“The facility now is at a point where it needs a tremendous amount of work structurally and otherwise,” Shapiro said.

“The deciding factor was cost and usability,” she continued. “[The structure] does not meet our needs as a clubhouse facility… [and] it would take a lot more money to renovate it.”

Although the building is not listed under the National Register of Historic Places, a number of tipsters have contacted ARLnow.com with concerns about losing one of the county’s oldest non-governmental buildings.

“It is a classic example in my opinion of people who are opposed to development and want to save historic structures — but now that it is their property and asset, they want to ‘do what is best for them,'” one tipster wrote. “The historic community is just about apoplectic and will have a huge outcry over this… It is just the easy way out.”

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