Columbia Pike Transit Stations - Projects & Planning

Bus Stop Changes in September 2021

Note date change: During station construction, bus service has been moved to temporary bus stops. On Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, the temporary stops are scheduled to close and bus service will return to the following locations:

westbound Columbia Pike at S. Glebe Road
westbound Columbia Pike at S. Oakland Street
westbound Columbia Pike at S. Buchanan Street
eastbound Columbia Pike at S. Four Mile Run Drive

Temporary shelters are being added at the first eight station locations until the new transit station shelters are ready for installation.

Project Update – July 2021

To date we’ve completed foundations and platforms for the first eight transit stations, but there have been delays with the new station shelters. The first eight stations will be located at:

eastbound and westbound S. Greenbrier Street
eastbound S. Columbus Street
westbound S. Dinwiddie Street
eastbound S. Four Mile Run Drive
westbound S. Buchanan Street
westbound S. Oakland Street
westbound S. Glebe Road

In November 2020, our shelter manufacturer Future Systems identified stability issues with the prototype shelter, and efforts to revise the design have raised concerns about its constructability.

New path forward

Initial design rendering of the prefabricated shelter with modifications that will be used for the transit stations

Due to the schedule delays and risk of increasing costs, the County is moving forward with a new approach for the transit station shelters. We plan to use a prefabricated shelter, a proven design available from Future Systems, with modifications that incorporate elements of the current design. The shelters will include high-quality durable materials (stainless steel and glass), real-time bus arrival displays, lighting and expanded seating.

The prefabricated shelters will be easier to install – they are bolted to the sidewalk, instead of requiring foundations – and will cost significantly less. And they can be delivered sooner, with installation of shelters and amenities for the first eight stations now expected in winter to spring 2022, compared to one year later if we continued with the current design.

The second half of this presentation gives an overview of the station shelter issues and the new path forward. Additional details will be provided in the coming months as details for the new shelters are finalized.

Location

Status

Construction

On July 16, 2019, the County Board approved a $1.6 million contract with Sagres Construction Corporation to build the first 4 of 23 transit stations planned for Columbia Pike.

About the Project

New transit stations along Columbia Pike will serve two purposes: accommodate riders on the busiest bus transit corridor in Virginia, and serve the community’s vision of transforming the Pike into a more transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly “Main Street.” New stations will make transit along the Pike easier, safer, more attractive and accessible – encouraging more people to use it.

Transit stations are designed to shelter more passengers than a typical bus stop and will be fully accessible. Each station platform will be 90 to 120 feet long to accommodate two transit vehicles. The stations will include:

Bringing premium transit to Columbia Pike

The transit stations are a major feature of the County’s planned premium transit network connecting Columbia Pike, Pentagon City and Crystal City. The stations will be the gateways to a network offering bus service that is fast, frequent, reliable and easy to use, with simplified routes, increased weekday and weekend service, and a new “one-seat ride” from Skyline to Pentagon City-Crystal City.

Public art

Public Process

This open house provided information on two Columbia Pike projects that have entered new phases of construction: Multimodal and Transit Stations.

County staff attended community events to inform residents about current and upcoming construction for the Columbia Pike multimodal and transit stations projects.

An open house was held on April 28, 2015, for members of the community to review the 50 percent design and provide input on the importance of various station amenities and the proposed placement of station features.

Funding

The County's Fiscal Year 2019-2028 Capital Improvement Plan provides a total budget of $16.9 million for the 23 stations. This includes the above-ground structures and supporting infrastructure, site design, project management and construction costs.

The transit stations program is funded primarily by federal and state funds and local commercial real estate tax revenues that can only be used for new transportation projects.