Arlington Boulevard Trail Study

About the Study 

Project Background

The Arlington Boulevard Trail is a regional, primarily off-street multi-use trail that parallels Arlington Boulevard. Sections of the route are comprised of several elements including: existing off-street trails, on-street planned bike lanes, existing on-street bike lanes, and an existing on-street bikeway.  Some of the segments have uneven pavement and narrow passageways adjacent to Arlington Blvd.   

Planning Guidance

The 2019 Master Transportation Plan (MTP) – Bicycle Element identified the Arlington Blvd Trail in Appendix D, Bikeway Facility Projects, Section 2-14 as a recommended trail improvement. The recommendation states the project should “reconstruct portions of the Arlington Boulevard Trail, between Rosslyn and the Seven Corners area, to enhance user safety and usability. Reconstruction should include:

• resurfacing to achieve a minimum 10-foot paved width
• enhancing the crossings of highway ramps
• providing contra-flow facilities for those sections of one-way service road that constitute parts of the trail
• evaluate installation of trail lighting.

The Arlington Boulevard Trail is also identified in the Fort Myer Heights North Plan. (VDOT, Arlington) (2.0 miles)”  

This Study

As part of the Adopted Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Fiscal Years 2022 – 2024, the County Board provided guidance to the County Manager to conduct an engineering / feasibility study for the Arlington Boulevard Multi-Use Trail from Jackson Street to George Mason Drive, inclusive of Glebe Road, to inform a future CIP. The scope of this study would include a feasibility analysis, field survey, traffic data collection, coordination with VDOT, and a preliminary horizontal layout. The study is estimated to take 12 months. 

Goals

This study will : 

• develop design concepts for improving existing sections of the trail, such as widening key pinch points and removing barriers and obstructions and
• identify the preferred routing and associated improvements at intersections and crossings, including but not limited to:
  • curb ramps at intersections where currently deficient
  • widening key pinch points to meet County trail width standards (10-12' preferred, 8’ minimum)
  • removing barriers and obstructions along the trail
  • providing direct path access and connections where feasible

• Public Process 

  Summer 2022

  The first public engagement opportunity will include a virtual public meeting to introduce the study, and kick off the public process for this work. It will also include a walking tour of the existing facilities in the study area, and an online feedback form to gather community input on what works and doesn't work on the existing Arlington Boulevard Trail today.

  Virtual Kick-Off Meeting

  The project team held a virtual kick-off meeting to introduce the community to the study, share background information about how we got here today, and highlight the existing trail and street facilities for people walking and biking along the Arlington Blvd corridor. 

  Meeting Details:

  • Kick-off Meeting Slides(PDF, 1MB)
  • (PDF, 1MB)Meeting Recording
  • Kick-off Meeting Q&A Transcript(PDF, 117KB)

  Walking Tour

  The project team held a walking tour of the existing trail facilities and adjacent intersections and roadways as part of this public engagement opportunity.

  Meeting Details:

  • Date: Saturday, June 18, 2022
  • Time: 9:30am-11:30am
  • Venue: Meet at the front entrance to the Thomas Jefferson Community Center

  Online Engagement Form

  In addition to the kick-off meeting and walking tour, the project team will also collect feedback via an online feedback form. This will be posted below when it is ready - beginning June 13, 2022 and closing at the end of the day June 30, 2022. now closing at the end of the day on July 5, 2022.

  Online Feedback Form

  Engagement Summary

  At the conclusion of this public engagement opportunity, the project team will summarize what we heard from the public and share it back as a summary memo.
• Engagement Summary (Coming Soon)

• Funding 

CIP Fiscal Years 2022-24 allocated $200,000 for an engineering feasibility study for the Arlington Boulevard Multi-Use Trail.