Arlington’s busy Crystal City Metrorail station is getting a much-needed second entryway. 

The new access at Crystal Drive and 18th Street South, approved by the Arlington County Board on Saturday, July 15, 2023, acknowledges continued growth and redevelopment in Crystal City and the larger residential-commercial community known as National Landing.  

The new east entrance will greatly streamline the station’s multimodal hub function as well as provide distinctive street-level access, three new elevators, stairs, a fare vending area and an underground passageway and mezzanine to existing rail platforms. The station primarily serves Metrorail, and riders in the immediate area also have convenient access to Metroway and ART buses and Virginia Railway Express trains.

The preliminary design incorporates upgrades based on the Americans with Disabilities Act while complementing plans for a nearby pedestrian bridge connection to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as well as the state’s Route 1 Multimodal Improvements Project. 

The new entrance was one of five transportation projects the Commonwealth committed contributing state transportation funds in successful efforts to bring Amazon’s second headquarters to Arlington, but the need was documented as far back as 2010 in the County’s Crystal City Sector Plan. 

The lone existing Crystal City Metrorail entrance, at South Bell Street and 18th Street South on the west side of a lengthy block, was frequently at capacity during peak ridership times pre-pandemic, and usage is expected to grow with development in the area. A typical Metro rider living or working on Crystal Drive will save about three to five minutes walking or using a mobility device to access the new Crystal City Metrorail Station entrance.  

Construction on the $146.1 million project could begin next summer and is expected to be completed in 2027. 

Arlington County is delivering the project on behalf of WMATA, through a unique project delivery agreement with JBG Smith Properties and Clark Construction. Federal, state, regional and County transportation funds will be used.  

The project cost of $146.1 million represents a $51.2 million increase relative to the conceptual estimates in the County’s last adopted Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). To fund the gap, Arlington will reallocate funding from rebalancing the CIP based on updated schedules for some projects as well as utilization of unprogrammed funding.  

The final design process for the second Crystal City Metrorail entryway is to begin next month.