Arlington Marks Construction for East Entrance to Crystal City Metro
Published on July 12, 2024
A second entrance is on track for the Crystal City Metrorail station along Crystal Drive.
Arlington County officials and project partners celebrated the start of construction of the Crystal City Metro Station East Entrance with a groundbreaking ceremony on Fri., July 12, 2024.
The second entrance represents a multi-year collaborative effort between Arlington County, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), the US Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA).
"Constructing an additional entrance for the Crystal City Metrorail station is an investment in the future of Crystal City and National Landing," said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey. "This project will deliver better transit access, more transit options, and support economic growth for our residents and our region."
A New Entrance for a More Connected Community
The east entrance project features a new pavilion at the intersection of Crystal Drive and 18th Street South, providing a full service, above-ground station entrance with fare gates, fare vending machines, and a staff kiosk for passengers seeking assistance. A new mezzanine with stairs and elevators will connect to the east end of the platform, making it easier for riders to use all available space while waiting for trains.
The finished entrance will bring Metro and regional and local transportation closer together on Crystal Drive. Riders will have faster access to the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station, the future multimodal connection to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and a future Amtrak station, all to be located within a five-minute walk of the new Metrorail entrance.
VIDEO: Crystal City Metro East Entrance Animated Preview
Locally, the new Metro entrance will provide easy access to the expanding bus Transitway on Crystal Drive, which is being extended to the Pentagon City Metro Station. The east entrance will also be a short walk from the connection to the Mount Vernon Trail across the street, along with improved sidewalks and bike lanes associated with other projects on Crystal Drive and 18th Street South.
"Crystal City is one of our busiest stations in Virginia with over 5,500 average daily entries," said Randy Clarke, General Manager and CEO of WMATA. "This new station entrance will be an asset to our system and is a great example of the way Metro and the region are working together to grow our economy and connect people to transit."
Investing in the Region
The east entrance project originated in the 2010 Crystal City Sector Plan, which set a new vision for the neighborhood as a dense, mixed-use, transit-oriented urban community.
Arlington entered a unique public-private partnership using a Virginia Law known as the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA). Under the PPEA, the County received a proposal from East Entrance LLC, a joint venture between Clark Construction Group, LLC and JBG Smith Properties. The proposal established a path forward for the design, engineering, and construction phases, significantly reducing the timeline for County and state procurement processes. The County Board accepted the proposal last summer.
Construction Updates
Construction on the station east entrance began last month with expected completion in 2027. Project updates including travel impacts will be posted on the Crystal City East Entrance project webpage. For emailed construction alerts, sign up for the Crystal City-Pentagon City Transportation Updates email newsletter on the project page.
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