Shirlington Bus Station Expansion Study

Location

2975 S Quincy Street, Arlington 22206

Status

Planned

Feasibility study is ongoing with data collection including survey and facility assessment activities. Public study and pop-up events occurred in summer 2024. Completion of the feasibility study is anticipated in fall of 2025.

About the Project

General Scope

This project will perform a facility assessment to identify the condition, functionality, accessibility, safety and security, and performance of the Shirlington Bus Station facility. It will also explore design concepts to address the need to expand the Station’s bus bay area to increase capacity to meet future service demand.

Project Goals

Analyze and evaluate the condition, functionality, accessibility, safety and security, and performance of the existing Shirlington Bus Station and provide recommendations for improvement.
Evaluate current and future service to the station and identify opportunities of improvement to ensure riders’ transfers are seamless and bus operations are not impacted by bus bay availability.
Engage the community to understand preferences from residents, visitors, commuters, and businesses.
Develop concept design(s) which may be utilized for future design and engineering work leading to the construction of additional bus bays.

Project Background

The purpose of this project is to expand the capacity of the Shirlington Bus Station. This facility serves as the principal transfer point for Arlington Transit (ART) bus services, Metrobus, and DASH (the City of Alexandria’s local bus system) in Arlington. Expanding the capacity of the station will improve the integration between transit systems and meet additional demand for regional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service.

Planning Guidance

Planning guidance from this project comes from the following plans and policies:

Master Transportation Plan

Transit Element: This element informs the scope of this project by providing implementation actions to maximize the potential of the existing transit system, such as operational improvements to existing transit service, and implementation of new transit service.

Arlington County Transit Strategic Plan (ATSP)

Recommends the expansion of service at the Shirlington Bus Station, including the addition of a new route (ART 85) linking Shirlington to Crystal City and Potomac Yard via the neighborhoods of Long Branch Creek, Aurora Highlands, and Arlington Ridge. The purpose of this new route is to offset WMATA Metrobus service reductions in these neighborhoods included in the Better Bus network.

West End Transitway

DASH and the City of Alexandria plan to add more service to the Shirlington Bus Station following the implementation of the West End Transitway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project between the Van Dorn Street Metrorail Station and the Pentagon.

Parcel History

Arlington County purchased an adjacent lot (RPC#29019032) from a private owner in 2006 and agreed to provide parking spaces on the site until April of 2019. As the use restriction has expired, Arlington County’s Transit Bureau is assessing the site to explore alternative uses including additional bus bays to meet future bus service needs in this area.

Overview map of existing Shirlington Bus Station and the additional parcel expansion area.

About the Process

Public engagement will occur in two primary phases - in the preliminary design phase to gather feedback to be considered when developing the concept design, and in during the concept design reporting phase, to communicate on feedback received and showcase concept designs.

Summer 2024 - Public Feedback

Level of Engagement: Consult

Discuss project goals and how you currently use the Shirlington Bus Station
Share any ideas and concerns you may have for the Shirlington Bus Station

During this engagement period, the project team hosted an online feedback survey as well as two pop-up events. Input received will help inform the final report and concept design.

Materials

Engagement Summary

Fall 2025 - Site Assessment and Concept Design Reports

Level of Engagement: Communicate

View the completed feasibility study, including the final concept online
See how your feedback helped inform the study

Funding

The estimated cost for this project is $11,886,000.00. The planning phase of the project will be covered by local funds, and design and construction will also be supported by regional funds.