The Arlington County Board today voted to approve a $533,490 contract (including contingency), with Fort Myer Construction Corporation for the South Walter Reed Drive and 12th Street South Project, part of the County’s Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards group of projects.
The project, one of several designed to make the Columbia Pike bike boulevards safer and more comfortable, will provide traffic calming and pedestrian improvements at the intersection of South Walter Reed Drive and 12th Street South. The County created the Columbia Pike bike boulevards in September 2013 by installing pavement markings and erecting signs.
“Arlington continues to invest in making the Columbia Pike corridor a safer, more welcoming area where cars, buses, bicycles and pedestrians can get around more easily,” said Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol.
Project Will Complete Initial Round of Bike Boulevard Projects
The approved contract is for the fourth and final construction project of the initial round of bike boulevard projects in the approved FY 2013-2022 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The first three projects improved intersections at South Quincy Street and12th Street South, George Mason Drive and 13th Street South, and four intersections along 9th Street South: South Wayne, Cleveland, Adams and Highland Streets.
The Board voted unanimously, in adopting the Consent Agenda, to approve the contract. To read the staff report on this item, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No.14 on the agenda for the Saturday, February 24, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.
About the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards
The Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards are about 4.3 miles long and run parallel to Columbia Pike generally along 9th Street South and 12th Street South. The County built the boulevards because the Pike’s limited space, heavy traffic and transit operations preclude extensive biking facilities. The bike boulevards are a safer, more practical alternative for cyclists and pedestrians.
The project will improve the South Walter Reed Drive and 12th Street intersection by constructing curb extensions, ADA curb ramps, raised medians, storm sewer upgrades, landscaping, and enhanced crosswalks. It also will upgrade the traffic signal at the South Walter Reed Drive and 11th Street South intersection by adding a push button for bicyclists to use to cross, and will relocate the existing bike boulevard from 12th Street South to 11th Street South between South Highland Street and South Cleveland Street. Construction is expected to begin this Spring.
Public engagement
Updates have been posted periodically on the project’s webpage. Between 2012 and this year, staff shared the design with the Douglas Park Civic Association, the Columbia Heights Civic Association, and the County’s Bicycle Advisory Committee.