Potomac Yard Metro Groundbreaking Held In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Officials and community members attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Potomac Yard Metro station on Thursday, Dec. 19, marking the start of construction. The station, between the Reagan National Airport and Braddock Road stations on the Blue and Yellow Lines, is scheduled to open in early 2022.

"The new Potomac Yard Metro Station will provide an attractive transit option in the Route 1 corridor that will help reduce traffic congestion and provide access for the entire D.C. region to and from this growing activity hub in Northern Virginia," said Marty Nohe, chair of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. The authority provided some funding for the $320 million project. Other funding sources will be tax revenue from Potomac Yard development over 40 years, a North Potomac Yard special tax district, developer contributions and low-interest loan from the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

The construction phase comes after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit under the federal Clean Water Act. It was final permit required under the joint permit application process with the Corps and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The Virginia State Water Control Board approved the state permit in September.

The future station will be bordered by the George Washington Memorial Parkway to the east and northeast, the Potomac Greens neighborhood to the south, and CSX tracks, Potomac Avenue, and Potomac Yard Shopping Center to the west and northwest. The northwest entrance of the Metro station is adjacent to the Regal Potomac Yard movie theater. A south entrance was previously eliminated from station plans due to cost concerns, leaving only a basic south access ramp in the plans. State funding offered with the Virginia Tech and Amazon announcements allowed improved south entrance concepts to be reconsidered. According to WTOP, the city and Metro are working on the design of that entrance.

Planning of the future Metro stop is expected to spur future development. The National Industries for the Blind headquarters has moved into Potomac Yard, and the Institute for Defense Analyses broke ground earlier in 2019. Another major project near the station will be the Virginia Tech's Innovation Campus, announced last November along with Amazon's decision to locate its second headquarters in Crystal City. The campus will be part of JBG Smith and Lionstone's mixed-use development that will result in the redevelopment of the Potomac Yard Shopping Center. The Virginia Tech Foundation submitted its first concept plan for the Innovation Campus to the city in the fall.

Residents can find construction activity updates on the city's Potomac Yard Metro page.