S Glebe Road and 9th Street S Intersection Improvement Project

Glebe Road is an arterial road owned and managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) while 9th Street S. is a non-arterial road owned and managed by Arlington County.

A Rapid Flash Beacon (RRFB) signalizes the southern crossing of Glebe Road.

These items may constrain or impact the intersection design:

• Utility poles within the sidewalk, most notably at the northeast corner
• Existing curb ramps are in poor condition and not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Retaining wall on the northeast corner
• Manholes and storm drains at the southeast and southwest corners

Planning guidance from this project comes from the following County Board-adopted plans and policies:

• Master Transportation Plan
  • Streets Element: The Complete Street policy informs the scope of this project to improve safety for all road users
  • Bike Element: 9th Street S. is part of the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards, intended to provide an enhanced on-street bicycle route parallel to Columbia Pike.

• Vision Zero
  • Vision Zero policies calls on County staff and the Arlington community to take a proactive approach to safety in order to eliminate severe and fatal crashes from our transportation network by 2030

• High Injury Network Corridor: Glebe Road from 14th Street N to Columbia Pike is part of Arlington County’s High Injury Network. 

• These corridors experience high concentrations of critical crashes compared to other corridors in Arlington.

• A 2022 safety audit for the corridor found the following:

• Speeds exceed 5MPH over the speed limit between 8th Street S. and 9th Street S.
• 2 pedestrian crashes in a three-year period and 5 left turn vehicle crashes (Jan 2018 – Feb 2021) at Glebe Road and 9th Street S.
• Community feedback received as part of the Vision Zero Action Plan development identified Glebe Road and 9th Street S. as an unsafe crossing
• Recommendation: Evaluate Glebe Road and 9th Street S. for a traffic signal

• The intersection was identified as pedestrian Crash Hot Spot in 2020

• Recommendation: Pursue intersection improvement options in collaboration with VDOT

Community Engagement Level: Involve

• Discuss project goals and how you currently use the streets
• Share specific ideas and concerns for the street sections

This input will be used to refine to goals and develop concept options.

Engagement materials

• Community feedback summary
• Community feedback - all comments 

Involve

• Learn what we heard during Existing Conditions Feedback and how it helped inform the concept design
• Review and share comments on the concept design
  • Open House - Project Boards(PDF, 15MB)
  • Community Engagement Summary - Concept Design

Input gathered will help evaluate and refine development of a final concept.

What We Heard From You

In spring 2023, we asked people to share their feedback about the intersection today. Community members shared concerns about:

• Safety: It feels hard to cross the intersection safely, whether you're walking, biking, or driving. Vegetation and the way the roads are laid out make it difficult to see oncoming traffic or see people waiting to cross.
• Sidewalk condition: The sidewalks, curb ramps, and medians are in need of maintenance. They're narrow, uneven, and have things like poles in the way.
• Speed: People feel like drivers are traveling too quickly on S. Glebe Road, which makes it feel unsafe to cross.

We used this feedback, along with feedback from the Bike Boulevards and Vision Zero engagements, to create a Concept Design for the intersection, supported by other County planning guidance and available data.

• Spring 2023 engagement summary

Concept Design

View a larger version of the concept design.

Key Features

• Adds a traffic signal to the S. Glebe Road and 9th Street S. intersection to facilitate safer movements for all transportation network users.
• Provides curb extensions at all corners to shorten crossing distances and increase visibility for people walking.
• Adds three marked, high-visibility crosswalks to the existing south side crosswalk (on the east, west, and north sides of the intersection).
• Widens refuge medians on S. Glebe Road to provide more space for people waiting to cross and encourage safer turning movements.
• Improves visibility by removing vegetation and trees
  • The Department of Transportation is working with colleagues in Urban Forestry to determine impacts and appropriate mitigation measures.

Communicate

• Learn what we heard during Concept Design Feedback and how it helped inform the final design
• View final designs online