2 Arlington Transit Projects Receive NVTA Funding

ARLINGTON, VA — Two transportation projects in Arlington County will receive funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) as part of its six-year, fiscal year 2020-2025 program. On Thursday, the NVTA approved 21 of 14 projects requested by 13 Northern Virginia localities and agencies.

Despite an estimated $240 million net revenue loss for the six-year program during the pandemic, the authority provided $539 million in funding for the 21 projects. Arlington's two projects are among 17 fully-funded projects, which have sufficient funds to advance to construction. The remaining partially-funded projects can advance to the early phases of project development but not necessarily completion.

Localities with approved projects include Arlington County, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, and Town of Dumfries. Projects were also approved for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, NOVA Parks, and Virginia Railway Express.

"The adoption of the Six Year Program Update demonstrates an ongoing commitment to a multimodal approach that addresses Northern Virginians' mobility needs and challenges, and supports the region's economic vitality, while providing an economic stimulus to the region's economy," said Phyllis Randall, chair of the authority and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

The authority's main purposes is to update Northern Virginia's long-range transportation plan, as well as prioritize and fund transportation projects to provide congestion relief. In 2013, a Virginia law established dedicated funding for Northern Virginia transportation projects for the authority to carry out its work. Membership is made up of nine Northern Virginia localities: Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.

See full list of the 21 projects funded by the authority here.

NVTA Funding will go toward these two projects in Arlington County:

• Rosslyn Multimodal Network Improvements: This project will design and build a suite of bicycle and pedestrian improvements, with the aim of improving access to employment, housing, and transit with the Rosslyn area. According to the project milestone timeline, design, engineering and environmental work, as well as right-of-way acquisition, would happen in fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Construction would take place from fiscal years 2025 to 2026.
• CC2DCA Intermodal Connector: From Crystal City to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport: This project will create a pedestrian connection between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Crystal City, providing a new access point between the two locations, which are less than half-a-mile away. The project will be located two blocks from the future Crystal City Metro Station East Entrance. It will also provide access to the Crystal City-Potomac Yard Transitway and the future VRE commuter rail station. According to the project milestone timeline, design, engineering and environmental work would happen through fiscal year 2024. Right-of-way acquisition would happen in fiscal year 2024, and construction would take place from fiscal years 2024 to 2026.

The authority put out a call for regional transportation projects in July 2019. Over 41 projects were reviewed, and around 1,000 public comments have come in during the process. According to the authority's executive director Monica Backmon, 85 percent of comments were focused on four approved projects: Arlington W&OD Trail Enhancements, Downtown Falls Church Multimodal Improvements, West Falls Church Access to Transit and Multimodal Connectivity, and Van Buren Road North Extension: Route 234 to Cardinal Drive.

With the new funding program and four previous programs, the authority is advancing 106 regional transportation projects. The projects, totaling almost $2.5 billion, are aimed at reducing congestion in the region.

Patch editor Emily Leayman contributed to the reporting of this story.