Work begins on major modifications to Army Navy Drive via Pentagon City

Work to rebuild Army Navy Drive through Pentagon City and improve security and transit along the corridor is officially underway.

This morning, Arlington County and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority solemnly inaugurated on long planned The Army Navy Drive “Complete Street” project, which aims to make the current multi-lane stretch of Army Navy Drive between S. Joyce Street and 12th Street S. more friendly to pedestrians, cyclists and transit users .

The project understand shortened crosswalks, dedicated transit lanes between S. Joyce and S. Hayes Streets, planted medians, new traffic signals at five intersections and, in some locations, vehicular traffic lanes shrunk or reduced. There will be a protected two-way bike lane along the south side of Army Navy Drive.

Work is starting as the number of workers and residents in the area is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. Amazon is preparing to build the second phase of its HQ2 – known as PenPlace, and which includes the iconic “Helix” building – on the corner of Army Navy Drive and S. Eads Street, while continue to hire towards its goal of 25,000 employees. Meanwhile, JBG Smith filed plans to add 1,668 residential units to the surface parking lots of the neighboring RiverHouse complex.

Over the next three weeks, road users will see signs of crews setting up for the Army Navy Drive project, such as cones and a construction management trailer, said Mark Dennis, project manager for the Arlington Department of Environmental Services. In mid-November, people will start seeing demolition work.

“Both sides of the hallways will have markings and indicators indicating that the entire area is an active construction zone,” Dennis told ARLnow. “There will be slight changes to traffic patterns to accommodate the lane changes that are required.”

He said drivers will need to pay close attention to navigate these changes.

Before scooping up the ceremonial earth with golden shovels, local and regional dignitaries celebrated the expected benefits of the project.

Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol said the project will make Army Navy Drive safer for pedestrians and cyclists and more convenient for bus riders. It will also slow down drivers, improve air quality and reduce stormwater runoff, she said.

“It’s better for all of us because providing safe, accessible, multi-modal transportation is a key part of the economic competitiveness of Pentagon City and Arlington as a whole,” Cristol said.

NVTA CEO Monica Backmon celebrated the project for “getting people out of their single-occupancy vehicles and giving people options.”

.@ArlingtonVA @kcristol and NVTA CEO Monica Backmon are all smiles at this morning’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Army Navy Drive Complete Street Project!😀🎉 pic.twitter.com/YMnBS2UTQy

— Northern Virginia's Transportation Authority (@NVTAuthority) October 24, 2022

The transportation authority said in a press release that it has invested more than $227 million in transportation projects located in Pentagon City, Crystal City and Potomac Yard, known collectively as National Landing.

National Landing Business Improvement District President and Executive Director Tracy Sayegh Gabriel said in a speech that the new facilities will attract more residents.

“Top talent prefers to be in places where they have great public transit, where there’s great connectivity, where there are alternative transportation choices,” she said. “We’re going to be the perfect place for top talent from across our region.”

The project will connect to transit and road changes along Columbia Pike and upcoming pedestrians and cyclists bridge on the Potomac River from Long Bridge Park. It will also add lanes reserved for buses and bicycles.

The addition of dedicated bus lanes along Army Navy Drive between S. Joyce Street and S. Hayes Street to deploy themselves the Crystal City-Potomac yard Transitway — a network of bus-only lanes between Arlington and the city of Alexandria — according to the Arlington County project webpage.

A two-way bike lane on the south side of Army Navy Drive will connect a planned Army Navy Drive bike path to a proposed multi-use trail along S. Bell Street which will eventually go to the Crystal City subway station.

“This project connects these places and activities in a very impactful way, making it easier to walk, bike and take public transit,” said Arlington County Transportation Manager Dennis Leach. “If you are driving, you will be asked to drive slowly and be respectful of all those other road users.”

Additionally, the project will establish a stronger bond between neighboring businesses and Pentagon workers, officials said.

About 70% of Pentagon employees are in person (as opposed to full-time remote work) and most are driving, a Pentagon spokesperson told ARLnow. The military complex and adjacent neighborhood are bisected by I-395 and large parking lots for Pentagon workers, some of whom come from as far away as Richmond and the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, the gatekeeper said. word.

The county’s website indicates that construction of the Army Navy Drive Complete Street project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025, around the same time as PenPlace, the second phase of Amazon’s HQ2.