North Oakland Street NCS Project

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 currently exists.

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 North Oakland Street was awarded points consistent with the NCS Project Ranking Guidelines for the history of crashes with injuries. Completing the street will provide a safer experience for those traveling on North Oakland.

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.

Arlington Neighborhoods Program - North Oakland Street

• A sidewalk, along with other improvements, were made on the North Oakland Street between North Pershing Drive to Arlington Blvd/Route 50 (in the Ashton Heights Neighborhood) as part of an Arlington Neighborhood Program (formerly Neighborhood Conservation) project. The project was completed in Spring 2022. This current Neighborhood Complete Streets project is building on the improvements of the Spring 2022 Neighborhood Conservation project.

Level of Engagement: Involve

• Nominated for NCS consideration, included in 2020 list, top 10 location in 2022
• Ranked #1 project on list of nominated streets 2024
• Selected for advancement into public engagement by the Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission at their February 12, 2024 meeting

Level of Engagement: Involve

• Discuss project goals and how you currently use the street
• Share specific ideas and concerns for the street section

This input will be used to refine goals and develop concept design options.

• Engagement summary

Level of Engagement: Involve

• Learn what we heard during Existing Conditions Feedback and how it helped inform the concept design
• Review and share comments on concepts

Input gathered will help evaluate and refine development of a final concept.

• Concept design engagement summary

Project Materials:

• Concept design(PDF, 9MB) for North Oakland Street
• Project boards(PDF, 5MB) from the open houses that were held on May 7 (Central Library) and May 13 (Walter Reed Community Center).
• Video on the concept design for North Oakland Street

   

Level of engagement: Communicate

The project was recommended for approval at NCSC Funding Hearing on June 10, 2024 and approved by the County Board at their July 2024 session.

• Community-informed final designs will be shared with the public
• The Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission will consider these projects for recommendation to the County Board at their Funding Hearing

Meeting materials

• N. Oakland Street (Pershing Dr. to 5th St. N) proposed plan 
• N. Oakland Street (5th St. N. to 6th St. N) proposed plan

• Funding Hearing booklet

Communicate

Since public engagement in 2024 and County Board approval on June 28, 2024, the project team has advanced the design.

• See the Final Plan(PDF, 3MB)

What Improvements Are Planned?

• New 5-foot-wide sidewalk on the east side of N. Oakland Street
• 2.5-foot utility strip adjacent to the sidewalk
• New curb and gutter where needed
• Replacement of affected driveway aprons
• Pavement rehabilitation
• ADA-compliant curb ramps and pedestrian crossings
• Replacement of the aging watermain

To accommodate the new sidewalk, portions of the roadway will be narrowed. As a result, on-street parking will be reduced to one side, helping maintain the roadway width required for emergency vehicle access.

The County recognizes the importance of the neighborhood tree canopy. Trees that directly conflict with the proposed sidewalk alignment may need to be removed. Where feasible, mature trees will be preserved through design measures such as landscaped curb extensions (bump-outs).

Construction is expected to remain within County right-of-way, though temporary construction easements may be needed in some locations. Affected property owners will be contacted directly.