Military Road Safety Improvements

All lanes, sidewalks and crosswalks are open at the intersection of Military Road and Nelly Custis Drive, and the intersection will have an all-way stop.

During this time, utility companies will remove their old wires, poles, and equipment, and switch services to the new underground facilities built at the start of construction. Utility companies will coordinate with each other and the County to work through the limited space of the project area.

The all-way stop will allow for crews to work in the project area safely.

After utility work is complete, roundabout construction will resume. Please obey all "No Thru Traffic" and other signs, for the safety of yourself and others.

Map

Safety improvements will focus on:

• Driver yield rates
• Shortening crossing distances for people walking through the intersection
• Providing predictable turning movements
• Reducing vehicle speeding

The final delivery of this project includes the undergrounding of overhead utilities, relocation and upgrade of water and sanitary lines through the intersection and a roundabout that provides access to all.

• Center and median islands in the intersection installed with landscaping and appropriate plantings
• A sloped apron around circumference of center island to encourage drivers to slow down, while still accommodating larger vehicles
• The removal of plastic pylons after other improvements are in place
• Painting these new features using colors that meet federal standards for structures in the roadway 

Status: Completed in December 2020

Safety improvements included upgrading all pedestrian ramps to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and installing a curb extension on the southeast corner, along with Transit Stops improvements. 

Project diagram

Status: Completed in December 2020

Safety improvements included eliminating the mid-block crosswalk and building a median pedestrian refuge with a high visibility crosswalk and ADA-compliant ramps. The sidewalk and bench at the bus stop also were improved.

Project diagram

In May 2025, the project team attended the Northern Arlington Infrastructure Projects Open House to talk with attendees, share a timeline and provide details on the preliminary phases of construction for the final, permanent roundabout at Nelly Custis Drive and Military Road. This includes:

• Renderings of the completed project
• Details on the underground utilities and future location of power and communications utilities under the intersection
• Construction phasing and associated detours for the first two major phases of construction, which require partial closures of the intersection.

Materials from the meeting are available in the PDF below. 

• Posters from the Open House(PDF, 982KB)

To receive updates about construction, including notifications about changes at the intersection before they occur, sign up for the Northern Arlington Transportation Update Newsletter on the right side of this page.

Arlington County has reached 100% design milestone for the intersection of Military Road and Nelly Custis Drive. The exhibit drawing below shows the landscape proposal for the roundabout, pavement markings, location of bio-retentions, and new street lights. Dominion, Verizon, and Comcast underground design has been incorporated to the full package of engineering drawings.

100% Design Overview

On November 29, County staff hosted host an open house event to discuss plans and collect feedback on projects on Nelly Custis Drive, Military Road, and Lorcom Lane, including the Nelly Custis Drive/Military Road roundabout. The open house was held at Dorothy Hamm Middle School on Tuesday, November 29.

• Meeting Boards

At this meeting, the project team shared plans to advance the design of a permanent roundabout as the Final Recommended Design for this intersection. This decision was made using guidance from County Board-adopted transportation plans, data from the pilot project, crash data and public input received during engagement in Summer 2022.

• Final Recommended Design plan sheet

In May 2022, County transportation staff hosted a community open house to share more about the Military Road Safety Improvements Project, gather feedback on the pilot roundabout project being tested at the intersection of Nelly Custis Drive and Military Road, and review the options for a preferred alternative for construction at the intersection.

An online feedback form was made available to collect feedback from the community on their experiences with the pilot safety project. This feedback was reviewed and and summarized (see below), to be used alongside operational data, crash data and site considerations to determine the next steps for the capital project at this intersection.

• Engagement Summary
• Complete engagement form responses
• Emailed comments on pilot roundabout

Engagement Resources

• View the Event Flyer
• Open House Station Boards

In October 2021, the project team installed a temporary roundabout as part of a pilot safety project. This facility, constructed with quick curb, pavement markings and bollards, was intended to improve intersection safety, increase vehicle yield rates at crosswalks and to gather data to inform future decisions for this project.

View the pilot roundabout plan

The pilot project, in conjunction with the Vision Zero transportation safety program, tested the effectiveness of a roundabout for operational performance during peak hours, improving pedestrian safety and reducing vehicle speeding at the intersection. Refer to Vision Zero pilot projects for more information.

Status/Timeline:

• Pilot installed October 2021
• Monitored pilot over 1 year with multiple data collection points 
• Gather community feedback on the pilot near the end of a year
• Public engagement opportunity conducted in May-June 2022

A virtual community meeting was held on June 10, 2021. Staff presented information about the completed construction along Military Road at Marcey Road and 36th Street North, and discussed the feedback received and studies performed for potential design treatments at Military Road and Nelly Custis Drive. The project team also announced a pilot safety project at the intersection and shared more information about the design and timeline for the pilot. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session.

• Presentation Slides
• Recording
• Public Questions and Comments

A community meeting was held on Sept. 27, 2017, at Taylor Elementary School, with participation from members of seven surrounding civic associations.

Following the public meeting in September 2017, the community was asked for feedback on design concepts for the three intersections. The comment period was open from October through November 2017:

• The majority of responses supported changes at all three intersections to increase safety for all modes – view a summary of the feedback
• Some respondents provided comments in addition to answering the feedback questions; the comments included support for and opposition to the design alternatives.

Meeting Boards

• Intersection of Military Rd and Nelly Custis – Existing conditions and proposal #1
• Intersection of Military Rd and Nelly Custis – Proposal #2 with “Give us Your Feedback”
• Intersection of Military Road and Marcey Road Proposed Investments
• Intersection of Military Road and Gulf Branch – where do you prefer to cross?