Groundbreaking of the Army Navy Drive project in Virginia

Construction has commenced on Arlington County’s Army Navy Drive project in Virginia, which will provide safer and more accessible multimodal transportation. Recently the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and  Arlington County hosted a groundbreaking event to mark the start of the construction phase. 

The main focus of the project is the Army Navy Drive expanse between S. Joyce Street and 12th Street S. At the event, Arlington County’s Board Chair member,  Katie Cristol, spoke on the benefits of making improvements to the existing corridor. She stated that the project would provide a safer and more convenient route for pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders. 

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Development plans for the Army Navy Drive project

The Army Navy Drive project involves several improvements such as dedicated transit lanes between S. Joyce and S. Hayes Streets. It also covers the addition of shortened pedestrian crossings, along with new traffic signals at five intersections. Additionally, the development plan includes a protected, two-way bicycle lane along the south side of the corridor.

Arlington county officials expect construction on the Army Navy Drive project to reach completion by the summer of 2025. Similarly, the phase of Amazon’s HQ2 project dubbed PenPlace will also be rounding up around the same period. Other future developments are in the works which will significantly increase the population of workers and residents in the area. Therefore, county officials are of the opinion that the new multimodal transportation systems will provide more options for commuters.

The  Dept. of Environmental Services project manager, Mark Dennis mentioned that demolition work would most likely begin by mid-November. He also said over the next three weeks there would be noticeable signs of crews setting up for the project. Several indicators and markings would be placed along both sides of the corridors for the Army Navy Drive project.  

Furthermore,  the traffic patterns will be slightly altered in order to accommodate the required lane shifts. Dennis said the drivers would have to pay extra attention to navigate all the changes for the project.