On June 30, 2020, the County advertised a request for proposals to select a consultant to complete the project’s environmental documentation and conceptual design under the requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). The County Board approved a professional services contract at its March 20, 2021, meeting.
Work on the NEPA phase began in May 2021. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) served as the lead agency for the environmental review, while VDOT served as the joint lead agency for NEPA efforts. The NEPA process included robust engagement to develop the project's purpose and need, evaluate various alternatives and determine a preferred alignment. This process culminated in the issuance of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for Public Review in the fall of 2023.
Following the public review of the EA and associated documents, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Arlington County, VDOT, the National Park Service (NPS), and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources executed a Section 106 Programmatic Agreement (PA), which defined measures to be taken during the later phases of the project to minimize and mitigate adverse effects on the George Washington Memorial Parkway (Parkway) as a historic resource. Additionally, to address impacts of CC2DCA on the Parkway as a park, Arlington County entered into a separate Mitigation Agreement (MA) with NPS. The Arlington County Board approved both agreements on December 16, 2023.
On July 24, 2024, FHWA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Crystal City to Ronald Reagan National Airport Multimodal Connection (CC2DCA). The FONSI was based on FHWA’s evaluation of the project’s Environmental Assessment and supporting documents. FHWA’s evaluation determined the documents adequately and accurately discuss the purpose and need, alternatives, environmental impacts, and appropriate mitigation measures of the proposed project.
As a result, FHWA determined the project will have no significant impact on the human environment. Additionally, NPS issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for the project on September 25, 2024, which authorizes the use of land within the Parkway by Arlington County to construct the CC2DCA connection. The issuance of these determinations allowed the CC2DCA project team to continue to progress engineering and design efforts.