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Projects & Planning

South Walter Reed Drive Improvements (SWRDI): Arlington Mill Drive to Four Mile Run Drive

Location

Segment of South Walter Reed Drive between Arlington Mill Drive and Four Mile Run Drive, including the intersections.

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Status

In Design
  • Fall 2015 – Scoping Complete & Conceptual Plan Developed
  • Winter 2015/16 to Fall 2017 – Design
  • Winter 2017 – Bidding
  • Spring/Summer 2018 - Construction start

About the Project

The section of Walter Reed Drive (WRD) between Arlington Mill Drive (AMD) and Four Mile Run Drive (FMRD) connects two of the County’s busiest multi-use trails (Washington & Old Dominion and the Four Mile Run Trail). It is also a major access point to the Shirlington commercial area and supports much of Arlington County’s fleet of service vehicles that are based at facilities located just off of Arlington Mill Drive. This project intends to improve the transportation facilities on this short, but critical segment of Walter Reed Drive and encourage more bicycle and pedestrian trips, improve access to Shirlington and better support motorists and County service vehicles that rely on this connection.

Following completion of the proposed conceptual plan in late 2014 and through fall 2015, County staff gathered feedback on the plan from nearby residents and other stakeholders. The preliminary conceptual plan was revised as a result of public comments gathered during the civic outreach process and County staff’s further review and analysis of the plan. The proposed final scope includes the following components to achieve the project’s intent:

  • New crosswalks and curb ramps, compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) at both intersections
  • ADA compliant bus stops
  • Two multi-use trails, 10-feet wide and two-directional on each side of Walter Reed Drive
  • A utility/buffer strip between the trails and automobile lanes (similar to Joyce Street trail near I-395)
  • Restriping automobile travel and turn lanes to be 11.5-feet wide at outside lanes, 10-feet at interior lane and 11-feet wide at turning lane (existing travel lanes are all 10-feet wide)
  • Complete technology upgrades at the WRD/FMRD and WRD/AMD intersections, including new traffic signals, pedestrian signals, lights, LED signage, etc.
  • Realign westbound Arlington Mill Drive to one left turn and one right turn lane in order to improve crossing for bicyclists and pedestrians. On June 8, 2016, Arlington County staff presented the analysis of the proposed realignment to the Shirlington Civic Association.
  • Improve slip lane crossing at WRD/AMD intersection. Slip lane improvements (similar to existing slip lanes at the Fairfax Drive & N. Glebe Road and N. Glebe Road & Wilson Blvd. intersections):
    • Larger island with plantings and ADA-compliant curb ramps
    • Raised crosswalk between Four Mile Run Trail and island
    • Realign Four Mile Run Trail's approach of crossing to improve visibility to and from trail users and crosswalk
    • Install appropriate signal/signage technologies to better support crosswalk users. Staff presented possible signage and technology options from the signal/signage matrix and posted to the website in October 2015. After additional research and consideration of all received comments, engineering staff have selected a variation of option 2 - this uses a group of signs, rather than just one sign, to emphasize the crossing.
  • A temporary or "pilot" installation of the Arlington Mill Drive lane realignment at the AMD/WRD intersection will allow staff to field test the signal timing and will enable residents to try out a partial implementation of the crossing improvements prior to the full project construction. During the test period, staff will closely monitor the intersection to determine the appropriate signal and marking adjustments necessary to manage all modes of traffic at the intersection so that this information can be determined prior to project construction. The temporary lane realignment was installed in June 2017 and will remain in place until project construction. Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about the test installation.
  • Pedestrian and bicycle way-finding signage (to be installed by the County's Trail Wayfinding Project)
  • Street lighting, both sides of Walter Reed Drive
  • Landscaping

Please refer to the right sidebar for the revised images that illustrate the proposed improvements.

Public Process

Community outreach during the conceptual development process (Winter 2014/15 - Winter 2015/16) targeted properties within one block of the project site, as well as several area stakeholder groups, including:

  • Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee
  • Arlington Pedestrian Advisory Committee
  • Claremont Citizens Association
  • Concord Mews Civic Association
  • Douglas Park Civic Association
  • Fairlington-Shirlington Neighborhood Conservation Area
  • Heatherlea Condominiums
  • Nauck Civic Association
  • Shirlington Dogs
  • Shirlington Civic Association
  • West Village at Shirlington
  • Windgates Condominiums I, II and III

Funding

Funding for this project is provided by a number of County sources, including the Decal Fee Program, the Bus Program, the Bridge Program, and the Transportation Systems & Signals Program. Additional funding is provided by the Virginia Department of Transportation's Revenue Sharing Program.