Wilson Boulevard

Tattoo Studio Coming to Clarendon

By Katherine Berko
1/3

A tattoo studio plans to open in Clarendon this month.

Lady Octopus Tattoos, set to move into 3240 Wilson Blvd, is owned by tattoo artist Gilda Acosta. According to the business’ Instagram account, potential clients can begin booking appointments this weekend. Those interested can also sign up for updates on its website.

The studio will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays. It will be closed on Mondays.

The studio will be in the same building as the Portico Church and Arlington Premier Realty, among other businesses.

Acosta attributes her creativity to her childhood, which she spent filling blank pages with illustrations.  She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the Corcoran College of Art and Design. Following her schooling, Acosta began a three-year apprenticeship with the tattoo artist Fatty of Fatty’s Tattoos & Piercings.

“Her interest in the natural world is evident in her depictions of oceanic and botanical life as well as her figurative work, which has been a main interest since her earliest encounters with pencil and paper. Her work is as influenced by humor, music, and everyday situations as by themes of gender and sexuality, dreams and the subconscious, spirituality and the occult,” says Acosta’s website.

Hat tip to Bill C.

Ballston Pedestrian Bridge Torn Down

By ARLnow.com
1/6

The old Ballston pedestrian bridge is no more.

The bridge was torn down over the weekend, closing part of Wilson Blvd in front of the under-construction Ballston Quarter mall and prompting a new location for the Taste of Arlington festival. The demolition included the use of a large crane to lower sections of the bridge.

Today, a construction crew was working to clear leftover debris, while a large section of the bridge sat largely intact, fenced off along the sidewalk.

Via Twitter, one local resident called the dismantling of the bridge and its “Ballston” sign an “end of an era.” A new pedestrian bridge will be built nearby, however, with its opening set for the fall of 2018.

Ballston Pedestrian Bridge Demolition Begins Soon

By Chris Teale
1/4

The long-planned demolition of the pedestrian bridge over Wilson Blvd in Ballston should begin soon, according to a spokeswoman for the developer.

The bridge between Ballston Common Mall and 4201 Wilson Blvd — which houses the soon-to-be-relocated National Science Foundation — closed last year as part of the mall’s renovation.

An anonymous tipster reported seeing bricks being removed at the base of the bridge’s pillars where it connects to the mall, and wondered if demolition was beginning.

But a spokeswoman for developer Forest City, which is carrying out the mall’s revamp, said last week it is not doing any work on the bridge at this time. She added that demolition is scheduled to start soon.

“We are not doing any construction on the structural components that would affect the bridge,” the spokeswoman said. “The demolition should begin within the next 30 days, but we will notify the public once we have a solid date.”

The bridge is still on track to be reconstructed and reopened in time for the revamped mall’s opening in fall 2018.

DEVELOPING: Police Respond To Possible Barricade Situation on Wilson Blvd

By Chris Teale
1/5

Updated 4:20 p.m. — Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said just after 4 p.m. that the suspect had been safely taken into custody.

Earlier: Arlington police responded to the Patrick Henry Apartments on Wilson Blvd Tuesday afternoon, closing roads and bringing in the SWAT team for a possible barricade situation involving a wanted suspect.

Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage said Arlington officers were called in at 12:30 p.m. April 5 to assist their Fairfax County counterparts serving an arrest warrant at 6172 Wilson Blvd, near Upton Hill Regional Park.

Police closed Patrick Henry Drive and had officers posted in cruisers blocking the entrance to the apartment complex. Meanwhile, SWAT officers carrying rifles patrolled the perimeter of a building and the department’s armored vehicle was on scene.

Savage said the SWAT team was called in out of an “abundance of caution,” given the highly populated apartment complexes in the area and to ensure the safety of children getting off school buses. She said that despite the heavy police presence, the arrest warrant was a “routine” serving and that there is no threat to the public.

As of 3:35 p.m., officers had still not been able to make contact with the wanted individual, according to scanner traffic, and pedestrian and school bus traffic was being rerouted in certain areas.

County Board to Vote on Easements for ‘Clarendon Circle’ Improvements

By Tim Regan
1/5

The Arlington County Board is considering giving its blessing to several easements needed for a long-awaited plan to revamp a tricky intersection in Clarendon.

The Board is scheduled to vote this weekend on easements needed to improve the “Clarendon Circle” intersection at Washington, Wilson and Clarendon boulevards.

If approved, the county will pay the Catholic Diocese of Arlington nearly $25,000 for permanent and temporary easements on a portion of church property along Washington Blvd, to be used for sidewalk, curb, gutter, utilities and drainage purposes.

The overall plan calls for improvements to “access and safety for those who walk, bike and drive.” The project’s goals include upgrades such as improved traffic signals and streetlights, wider center medians, shorter pedestrian crossings, bike lanes and curb extensions.

“Current travel across the intersection can be difficult due to its extreme width and the skewed alignment of its roadways,” according to a County webpage. “North Irving Street also enters the circle area in two offset locations, further complicating the traffic pattern.”

This wasn’t the only idea that Arlington County considered. Roundabouts, one-way street couplets and other alternative designs all were analyzed, but the County found those elements “would have negative impacts on all modes of transportation, especially for pedestrians.”

If all goes according to plan, the engineering design will be completed this spring, clearing the way for construction to begin next summer. Project completion is pegged for the summer of 2019.

Ballston Pedestrian Bridge Closing Wednesday

By ARLnow.com

Ballston pedestrian bridge closing sign (courtesy photo)The pedestrian bridge over Wilson Blvd in Ballston will be closing to the public on Wednesday, according to a sign at the bridge’s entrance.

The bridge, which connects Ballston Common Mall with the Ballston Metro station, is set for demolition as part of the mall’s ongoing renovation project.

There’s no word yet on a specific date for the demolition.

“No final date has been determined, but they are targeting the end of November or early December,” county spokesman Andrew Pribulka told ARLnow.com.

The bridge will be reconstructed with a new, modern design. The new bridge is expected to open by the fall of 2018.

Courtesy photo

Removing a Lane on Wilson Blvd Has Slowed Down Rush Hour Trips By About 15 Seconds

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Yes, if you drive through Bluemont via Wilson Blvd during rush hour, your commute has lengthened since Arlington County reconfigured the road. But not by much.

According to a county traffic study, rush hour travel times have increased by only 3 to 15 seconds in each direction. Much of that can be attributed to buses stopping to pick up and drop off passengers, blocking what’s now the only through lane, county staff told residents at a community meeting Thursday night.

Last year, Wilson Blvd was repaved and restriped between the Safeway and Bon Air Park, so that instead of four lanes of traffic, it is now has two lanes of traffic (one in each direction), a turn lane and two bike lanes. Immediately after the changes, some residents said they loved the change, while others complained about a supposed traffic nightmare that they said added 20-40 minutes to their commute.

The lane restriping was largely billed as a safety improvement. Some of the numbers cited by country staff suggest a statistical mixed bag.

The number of vehicle crashes along the reconfigured section of roadway increased slightly, from 3 in the 9 months before the project to 4 in the 9 months after. The number of trips by bicyclists using the stretch of roadway over a 12 hour period increased from 14 to 72, but the number of pedestrians walking along Wilson decreased from 56 to 41 during the same period, according to the presentation given by county staff.

The presentation listed the following “pros” and “cons” of the project.

Pros:

  • Improved bicycle safety
  • New buffer for existing sidewalks
  • Less potential for speeding
  • Less backup due to left turning vehicles

Cons:

  • More delay on side streets accessing Wilson Blvd
  • More vehicular delay due to local bus activity

In its assessment, county staff says the project was a success. The county is now considering options for similar work along Wilson Blvd west of Manchester Street, between the Dominion Hills and Boulevard Manor neighborhoods. That and improvements to the narrow sidewalks along Wilson Blvd have been proposed and may be considered during the county’s upcoming Capital Improvement Plan process.

“There is currently no funding for a long-term project, however, we’ll continue to look for opportunities to extend the demonstration study,” said Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Jessica Baxter. “We consider the study to be successful overall and have seen substantial improvements to pedestrian and bicycle safety.”

TRAFFIC ALERT: Wilson Blvd Closed in Ballston Due to Crash

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Update at 5:15 p.m. — The road has reopened with lane closures.

Wilson Blvd is temporarily closed between N. Oakland and Pollard streets in the Ballston area due to a vehicle crash.

The two-vehicle, T-bone collision happened just after 4:30 p.m. No serious injuries were reported, though an ambulance did respond to the scene.

It’s unclear what led to the collision, which occurred mid-block.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Water Main Break Closes Wilson Blvd for Evening Rush

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Wilson Blvd is closed between Rosslyn and Courthouse due to a water main break.

The closure is between N. Quinn and Rhodes streets, in front of the Colonial Village Shopping Center. Traffic is being diverted onto N. Quinn Street.

As of 3:15 p.m., water was still flowing from 2-3 areas where the roadway had buckled and cracked from the pressure of the burst water main.

The closure is expected to remain in effect throughout the evening rush hour, according to Arlington County. Drivers are being encouraged to seek alternate routes.

Wilson Blvd Down to One Lane Around New Courthouse Hotel

By Heather Mongilio
1/5

(Updated at 6:20 p.m.) It’s slow going for drivers and bicyclists on the stretch of Wilson Blvd between N. Wayne and N. Adams Street in Courthouse, as two construction projects are underway.

Wilson Blvd is currently down to one lane, with cars navigating through traffic cones, due to construction on the new Hyatt Place hotel and a county project to install fiber optic cables below the street, said county spokeswoman Jessica Baxter.

Driving down the stretch of Wilson puts the cars half on the bicycle lane, while crews access underground wiring for fiber optic cable installation. The utility project is set to finish in the “early part of next week,” Baxter said.

Once the utility work is finished, the left lane and parking lane on Wilson Blvd will reopen to vehicles, she said.

However, the righthand parking lane and possibly one travel lane of Wilson Blvd between N. Wayne and N. Adams Street will remain blocked off until the end of September for hotel construction, Baxter said, and lanes may also be closed periodically after that.

“Each periodic closure will require the issuance of a right-of-way use permit from the Department of Environmental Services, and that closure will only be for the timeframe requested on such permit,” she said.

The new Hyatt Place in Courthouse, the hotel brand’s first in Arlington, is on schedule for an August 2016 opening, according to Jim Villars, a spokesman with Schupp Company, the hotel’s developer. Contrary to information from the county, Villars said the hotel construction project will not require the closure of a travel lane on Wilson Blvd.

The topping out of the eight floor structure is expected to be complete before the end of the month, Villars said. At that point, all eight floors above grade and the two floors below grade for underground parking will have been built.

After sealing the structure, crews will start constructing the hotel’s interior, he said.

Once finished, the Courthouse Hyatt Place will 161 rooms, two restaurants and a bar. The hotel will also be the first hotel with gold LEED certification in Arlington and the first Hyatt Place to receive gold LEED certification, according to Villars.

The company is currently looking for a tenant to fill one of the restaurant spaces, which is almost 1,300 square feet, he said. The hotel is replacing a low-rise commercial building that was formerly home to Wilson Tavern.

New Rosslyn Sushi Restaurant Hopes to Open Later This Month

By Heather Mongilio

Rolls By URolls By U, a new sushi restaurant coming to the Colonial Village Shopping Center on Wilson Blvd, is hoping to open its doors mid-September.

There is no target date for the new restaurant, according to one of its employees. Rolls By U announced the mid-September opening on its Facebook page on Aug. 26.

The sushi restaurant’s slogan is “where you create,” implying that it may be a make-your-own sushi concept. On social media, the restaurant says it will offer “organic, healthy, and flavorful sushi for your senses and your soul.”

Brown paper still covers the window, but construction crews could be seen inside this afternoon.

Rolls by U will be at least the fourth sushi restaurant in Rosslyn, with Kona Grill, Kanpai and Cafe Asia all nearby, along Wilson Blvd.

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