Wilson Boulevard & N Rhodes Street Intersection Safety Project
StatusIn Design
This project is currently in the design phase. Public engagement on existing conditions and experiences is being reviewed.
About this Project
This capital project originated as a Vision Zero Quick Build project to construct a floating bus island at the northeast corner of this intersection. After reviewing the safety needs and design standards, transportation staff determined that a more expansive project covering the entire intersection would better address all of the safety and operational issues present at this intersection.
This intersection was identified for improvements in 2019 to address conflicts between people biking and transit vehicles servicing the bus stop. It also appeared on the 2022 Vision Zero Crash Hot Spot Analysis, which indicated that there were a high number of pedestrian crashes at this intersection. It will also include necessary upgrades to traffic signal equipment for all approaches to the intersection and undergrounding utilities within the project limits.
To resolve these safety and operational issues, the project team will be applying Complete Streets principles as outlined in the Master Transportation Plan’s Streets Element. By reviewing safety and operational data, crash reports, public input and design standards, we will work to make this intersection function better for all road users.
Project Basis
Planning guidance from this project comes from the following County Board-adopted plans and policies, as well as DES policies for maintaining our infrastructure:
Master Transportation Plan
- Streets Element: the County's Complete Street Policy (Streets Element Policy #4.2) informs the scope of this project to improve safety for all road users, including people walking, biking, taking transit and driving.
- Bicycle Element: This segment of Wilson Blvd is included in the Bicycle and Trail network as an existing facility and a "Primary Bicycling Corridor"
Vision Zero Action Plan
- The 2021 Vision Zero Action Plan calls 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 conducted in 2022 as part of the County's Vision Zero efforts showed that this intersection was a high crash location for pedestrians, who are disproportionately represented in severe and fatal crashes in Arlington.
State of Good Repair
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.
Fall 2023 - Existing Conditions and Your Experiences
For this initial public engagement opportunity, the project team is sharing what we've learned as we've reviewed the existing conditions at this intersection and gathering input from the community on their experiences in this corridor. We are using this feedback to inform a concept design for the intersection, which we'll share back with the community for input in spring 2024.
Engagement Summary - Existing Conditions and Experiences(PDF, 355KB)
The now-closed Online Feedback Form is available for review using one of the links below:
Funding
This project is funded in the FY2023-32 Capital Improvement Program using local funds.