Lorcom Lane Safety Project

Location

Lorcom Lane, Arlington, VA 22207  View Map

Status

In Design

The Lorcom Lane Safety Project team is currently reviewing public input from the first engagement opportunity, and developing an initial conceptual design for the corridor to achieve the project's stated goals.

About the Project

The Lorcom Lane safety project will deliver multimodal safety improvements on Lorcom Lane from 24^th Rd North / North Quebec Street to Nelly Custis Drive. This project originated through community-reported transportation safety concerns, crash data, and the results of the Vision Zero Pilot Safety Project on the north side of this corridor.

The project will deliver improvements that address the following issues:

• Continuity of sidewalks on both sides of Lorcom Lane
• Widening existing sidewalks to conform with Americans With Disabilities Act standards
• Resolving alignment issues with the intersection of N. Quebec Street and Lorcom Lane
• Reducing pedestrian crossing distances throughout the corridor
• Addressing documented safety issues at the intersection of Lorcom Lane and Nelly Custis Drive

Additionally, public input will help identify other issues present in the corridor that can be addressed by the project.

Project Basis

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

Master Transportation Plan

• Streets Element: the County's Complete Street policy for non-commercial arterial roads informs the scope of this project to improve safety for all road users, and includes recommendations for pedestrian facilities on roads like Lorcom Lane
• Bicycle Element: This segment of Lorcom Lane is included in the Bicycle and Trail network as an existing facility

Vision Zero Action Plan

• Vision Zero policies call on County Transportation staff to take a proactive approach to safety, to eliminate severe and fatal crashes from our transportation network by 2030
• Crash data analysis from the Vision Zero Action plan showed that higher vehicle speeds more frequently result in more severe or fatal crashes

Additionally, the corridor is part of the school walk zone for Dorothy Hamm Middle School, and adjacent to a pre-school hosted by a faith-based organization at the intersection of Lorcom Lane and Nelly Custis Drive.

Pilot Project

In Spring 2021, Arlington County transportation staff implemented a Vision Zero Pilot Safety Project on the north side of the 3800 block of Lorcom Lane. This project, part of a set of pilot projects implemented in coordination with Arlington Public Schools in advance of the reopening of APS buildings for in-person learning, used temporary materials to provide a walking path on the north side of the street. 

After review of data gathered during the pilot and community outreach through an online feedback form, transportation staff decided to maintain the temporary walking path moving forward, and implement a permanent project through the County's Capital Improvement Program. This project will deliver permanent sidewalks in the pilot corridor and look for other opportunities to make Lorcom Lane safer for all road users.

More information about the Pilot Safety Project can be found below.

• About the Project
• Summary of Community Feedback
• Summary of Data Collected

 

Public Process

There will be two public engagement opportunities to share your input on the corridor and the concept design. All public engagement opportunities will be announced in advance and information will be shared here. 

Fall 2022 - Existing Conditions and Experiences

In November 2022, the project team kicked off public engagement with an opportunity to share your experiences when travelling along the project corridor. There were two ways to share feedback - in person and online. Following a review of the feedback we received, the project team will share a summary of what we heard and next steps for the public to engage on this project.

Engagement Summary(PDF, 277KB)

• All written responses received(PDF, 93KB)
• Annotated overhead corridor exhibit(PDF, 2MB)

Online Feedback Form

An online feedback form with an interactive map was available for comment from November 29 through December 18, 2022 to allow people to share how they experience the project corridor. 

 

Transportation Public Engagement Open House - Nelly Custis Drive, Military Road, and Lorcom Lane Projects

The project team hosted an interactive public engagement opportunity as part of a community open house on transportation projects in the area. This in-person event allowed attendees to share their experiences on the corridor and talk to staff about their priorities for a safer Lorcom Lane.

• Date: November 29, 2022
• Time: 7pm-8:30pm
• Location: Dorothy Hamm Middle School - Cafeteria

Engagement Resources 

• Meeting Posters

 

Funding

This capital project is funded by the County's Capital Improvement Program using local and regional revenues.