8th Road North NCS Project

Status

Preliminary Proposal

The section of 8th Road North (N. Kensington St. to N. Jefferson St.) is being considered for improvements as part of the Neighborhood Complete Streets program.

Location

8^th Road North from North Kensington Street to North Jefferson Street, in the Bluemont neighborhood.

About Project 

This block of 8th Road North was nominated by a member of the public for consideration by the Neighborhood Complete Streets program for funding due to:

• lack of complete sidewalk
• high travel speeds
• and proximity to parks, multiuse trails, Ashlawn Elementary School, and Wilson Boulevard

As the fourth-ranked project on the NCS list of nominated streets, the Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission directed staff to pursue a project to complete the sidewalk. At this time, the NCS program is beginning preliminary engagement with the community with the goal of eventually completing the sidewalk in this key location near Wilson Boulevard. 

Project Goals

• Complete the missing sidewalk infrastructure to provide a safe and accessible pedestrian route connecting pedestrians from North Jefferson Street to Bluemont Park.
• Utilize the existing, County-owned right of way while balancing priorities to achieve a complete street for all who travel on 8^th Road North.

  Project Background

  Master Transportation Plan

  • Streets Element: The Complete Street policy informs the scope of this project to improve safety for all road users by providing a complete sidewalk where none exists right now.

  Vision Zero

  • Vision Zero policies call 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. This segment of 8th Road North was awarded points consistent with the NCS Project Ranking Guidelines for the history with one crash and high travel speeds. Completing the street will provide a safer experience for those traveling on 8th Road North.

  Neighborhood Complete Streets

  • The Neighborhood Complete Streets (NCS) program was established by the Arlington County Board in January 2016 to address safety and access problems on local (non-arterial) streets through physical improvement projects. The Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission was chartered to advise the County Board on the NCS program and make recommendations for projects to fund. This project has arisen following the guidelines of the program, with the oversight of the Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission.

  Nearby Projects

  Safe Routes to School Street Project

  • A sidewalk, along with other improvements, were made on 8th Road North from Kensington to the Bluemont Trail, and on North Lexington Street from 8th Road North to Wilson Boulevard in the Bluemont neighborhood as part of the Safe Routes to School Street Project. That project was completed in spring 2023. This current Neighborhood Complete Streets project is building on the improvements of the spring 2023 Safe Routes to School Street Project.
   

About the Process

Public engagement will occur in two primary phases - in the preliminary design phase to inform the initial concept designs, and during the concept design phase, to gather feedback on the initial concept designs.

Funding

Projects selected for implementation by the Neighborhood Complete Streets program are recommended for approval by the Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission at a public Funding Hearing, and subsequently approved by the Arlington County Board. Neighborhood Complete Streets projects are funded by the Capital Improvement Plan.

Photo Gallery