Crystal City to Reagan National Airport Multimodal Connection (CC2DCA)
This project will provide a multimodal connection between Crystal City and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) for use by people walking, biking, and using micromobility devices.
The CC2DCA connection will provide residents, visitors, and business travelers of all ages and abilities with a safe and convenient way to reach the airport from Crystal City. In addition to this direct connection to a national air travel hub, it will also create and enhance multimodal connections between the airport, the relocated Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter rail station, and the multi-use Mount Vernon Trail.
Location
In May 2023, the County Board endorsed the location of the Preferred Alternative for the CC2DCA Multimodal Connection. The Preferred Alternative will connect to the east side of the south entrance of the future VRE Crystal City Station located at 2011 Crystal Dr. and span the rail corridor perpendicularly before crossing the George Washington Memorial Parkway at a slight angle. Following stakeholder coordination, a specific alignment across MWAA property was defined in the fall of 2024. The Preferred Alignment for the connection is shown below:
Status
In Design
The Project Team has begun developing the 30% design, which will begin with a public engagement opportunity to gather community input on how we should prioritize things like space for different types of uses, aesthetic details, amenity spaces and design styles. This information will be used to make design decisions as we prepare a final concept design for the project.
About the Project
Currently, engineering and design efforts are ongoing with work on the final concept (30%) design schedule to start in early 2025. Throughout 2025, design efforts will focus on identifying major design features and aesthetics and coordinating with key stakeholders to ensure compliance prior to advancing the project to the next phase of development. Completion of the 30% design is anticipated in early 2026.
Project Basis
In 2010, Arlington County adopted the Crystal City Multimodal Transportation Study. The study made transportation improvement recommendations for the Crystal City area including the construction of a pedestrian and bicycle connection to the airport.
Preliminary Planning (2017-2019)
The Crystal City Business Improvement District (now known as the National Landing BID) initiated a feasibility assessment in 2017 that looked at how to connect Crystal City and its myriad transportation options to the airport. The study evaluated various alignment and facility types to serve existing development and planned growth in Crystal City.
During development of its FY 2019-2028 Capital Improvement Plan, the County created a new project in the Crystal City, Pentagon City, Potomac Yard Streets Program to continue alternatives analysis and preliminary planning for a connection between Crystal City and DCA. The project had limited funding due to budget constraints.
In late 2018, with the announcement of an agreement to bring Amazon’s HQ2 to Crystal City, the Commonwealth of Virginia identified a CC2DCA connection as one of five transportation projects to be fully or partially funded by the Commonwealth.
VDOT added the project to its Six-Year Improvement Program in 2019. This included an allocation of $9.5 million in federal funding for project planning, NEPA documentation and preliminary engineering.
At its December 2019 meeting, the County Board approved an agreement with VDOT to allow the County to administer the project’s planning, environmental review and preliminary engineering phases.
Environmental Review (2021-2024)
On June 30, 2020, the County advertised a request for proposals to select a consultant to complete the project’s environmental documentation and conceptual design under the requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). The County Board approved a professional services contract at its March 20, 2021, meeting.
Work on the NEPA phase began in May 2021. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) served as the lead agency for the environmental review, while VDOT served as the joint lead agency for NEPA efforts. The NEPA process included robust engagement to develop the project's purpose and need, evaluate various alternatives and determine a preferred alignment. This process culminated in the issuance of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for Public Review in the fall of 2023.
Following the public review of the EA and associated documents, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Arlington County, VDOT, the National Park Service (NPS), and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources executed a Section 106 Programmatic Agreement (PA), which defined measures to be taken during the later phases of the project to minimize and mitigate adverse effects on the George Washington Memorial Parkway (Parkway) as a historic resource. Additionally, to address impacts of CC2DCA on the Parkway as a park, Arlington County entered into a separate Mitigation Agreement (MA) with NPS. The Arlington County Board approved both agreements on December 16, 2023.
On July 24, 2024, FHWA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Crystal City to Ronald Reagan National Airport Multimodal Connection (CC2DCA). The FONSI was based on FHWA’s evaluation of the project’s Environmental Assessment and supporting documents. FHWA’s evaluation determined the documents adequately and accurately discuss the purpose and need, alternatives, environmental impacts, and appropriate mitigation measures of the proposed project.
As a result, FHWA determined the project will have no significant impact on the human environment. Additionally, NPS issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for the project on September 25, 2024, which authorizes the use of land within the Parkway by Arlington County to construct the CC2DCA connection. The issuance of these determinations allowed the CC2DCA project team to continue to progress engineering and design efforts.
Design (2024-2026 and beyond)
Currently engineering and design efforts are ongoing and focusing on determining the alignment of the connection within DCA, which was not specifically defined during the environmental review process. Survey work and field exploration within the project limits was completed in the Summer of 2024
Additional Design phase information will be added as the Public Process continues in 2025.
Public involvement will continue to play a pivotal role in the design of CC2DCA, consistent with the County’s Six Step Public Engagement Guide for Capital Projects. These efforts will build on the input gathered during the environmental review process and further refine this unique multimodal project.
Winter/Spring 2025 - Design Priorities Public Engagement
In January/February 2025, the project team shared a public engagement opportunity focused on your priorities for the CC2DCA connection's design and function. We want to know more about how you will use this connection, which trips are most important to you, and what design criteria you think is most important. We also want to learn about your aesthetic preferences for this bridge, to begin developing the design language for the project. A summary of what we heard during this public engagement will be shared here when it is available later this spring.
Engagement Summary (Coming Soon)
The project team produced a Project Update video to provide the latest information and progress milestones on CC2DCA and share more about what input we were gathering and how it would be used to design the CC2DCA connection.
Watch the Project Update Video
Public engagement for this phase closed on February 16, 2025. Input from this phase is being reviewed now and will inform the design development of the CC2DCA bridge alongside stakeholder feedback, past planning processes and County Board-adopted policies, and applicable federal and state regulations.
There were two ways to get involved:
Share your input in the online Feedback Form
Here, we asked a few short questions to better understand how people see themselves using the connector, what things they care about most for their trips when using CC2DCA, and their thoughts on the aesthetic and visual language for the design. We're use this input to inform decisions and highlight the different opportunities and challenges we're working through during the design process.
Attend the Public Open House Meeting on January 29, 2025
We hosted a public open house at the Aurora Hills Community Center to answer questions, gather input and share more information about the CC2DCA connection.
- Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025
- Time: 4:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M.
- Location: Aurora Hills Community Center, Community Room
Additional Engagement Resources:
Past Engagement Opportunities & Communications
Summer 2024 - NEPA Process Concludes
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) efforts for the CC2DCA connection were finalized on July 24, 2024, when the Federal Highway Administration issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the project. Additional information related to the project's NEPA efforts can be found below.
Fall 2023 - Draft Environmental Assessment Review
The CC2DCA environmental assessment is now available for public review. The public had the opportunity to provide feedback online in six different languages, an in-person, and mailing or emailing comments to the project team. Click the accordion to see the documents.
Spring 2023 - Progress Update
Fall 2022 - Recommended Preferred Alternative Public Engagement
In October 2022, the project team kicked off the third public engagement opportunity for the CC2DCA Study, covering the process from initial concept designs to a recommended preferred alternative. This public engagement window was open Oct. 4, 2022 to Nov. 6, 2022.
Online Feedback Summary
Virtual Question & Answer Session
The project team hosted a virtual public meeting for the recommended preferred alternative on Oct. 25, 2022 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The project team answered questions about the study's progress, and about the engagement materials that are part of this public comment period.
Meeting Transcripts
Pre-Recorded Meeting Materials
Segments
Alternatives Brochure
Spring 2022 - Progress Update
Winter 2021 - Purpose & Need / Preliminary Concepts Public Engagement
In November 2021, the project team kicked off the 2nd public engagement checkpoint for the CC2DCA Study, covering the process from Purpose & Need to preliminary feasibility for project corridors and initial concept designs. This public engagement window was open from November 29, 2021 to January 9, 2022.
Online Feedback
The online feedback form guided participants through a high-level overview of the study's progress to date, and asked for your feedback along the way. Here's a summary what we heard in the feedback form:
Virtual Question & Answer Session
The project team hosted a virtual Question & Answer session on December 7, 2021 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. The project team answered questions about the study's progress, and about the engagement materials that are part of this public comment period.
Key Engagement Resources
Pre-Recorded Presentation
The project team prepared a set of pre-recorded presentations to update you on our progress and walk you through the process so far. You can watch the entire presentation (approximately 30min) or watch segments covering each part of the engagement. These videos formed the basis for this public engagement opportunity.
Presentation Video
Segments
Corridor Factsheets
Learn more about each of the 14 corridors analyzed and screened for the study in this set of 1-page factsheets.
Corridor Video
Concepts Factsheets
Learn more about each of the initial concepts for the multi-modal connection analyzed and screened for the study in this set of 1-page factsheets
Concepts Video
Fall 2021 - Progress Update
Summer 2021 - Defining Purpose & Need Public Engagement
July 2021 Community Meeting
A virtual community meeting was held on July 15, 2021, to present the study to the public and solicit initial comments on the potential CC2DCA connection.
Online questionnaire
An online form was available from July 15 to Aug. 15, 2021, for providing input to help define the project’s purpose and need.
Funding
The project is currently funded in the 2025-2034 Capital Improvement Program with a combination of federal, state, and regional funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, and local funding.