Dark Star Slip Lane Closure
Location
Rosslyn, on Fairfax Drive between Fort Myer Drive and North Lynn Street, Arlington, VA 22209 View Map
StatusIn Design
The project will occur in two stages.
Slip Lane Closure
The first stage is the “tactical” pilot closure of the slip lane, which occurred in July 2019. The County used lost-cost, temporary materials to close the slip lane from traffic.
The blocked off space will be reallocated as park space, furnished with tables, chairs, and local art work. The County encourages members of the community to use this new open space for daily activity.
Dark Star Park Expansion
The second stage of the project to design and build-out of an expanded Dark Star Park has been absorbed into the Meade Street Bridge project as part of the FY2023-2032 Capital Improvements Plan.
This project will extend the greenspace and sidewalks into the unutilized street space. Concept planning for the design and build-out of an expanded Dark Star Park was initiated under the Core of Rosslyn Transportation Study.
About the Project
The Dark Star Slip Lane Closure and Park Expansion Project will create the street cross-sections on Fairfax Drive, Fort Myer Drive and North Lynn Street called for in the Rosslyn Sector Plan. The design includes the standard Sector Plan streetscape with landscaping, sidewalks and pedestrian ramps. Pedestrian improvements will include shortened crosswalks across Fairfax Drive, Fort Myer Drive and North Lynn Street.
The project also sets the stage for a two-way Fort Myer Drive, another project identified through the Core of Rosslyn Transportation Study. The two-waying of Fort Myer Drive will occur once the slip lane closes, the Fort Myer Drive tunnel is filled in, and interchange modifications occur with the US-50 and Meade Street ramps. This work will take place as part of the Meade Street Bridge project.
Public Process
This project resulted from the Core of Rosslyn Transportation Study, which included a 1.5-year public engagement effort.
Further project progress on the extension of Dark Star Park will take place as part of the Meade Street Bridge project.
Funding
Stage one of this project is made possible through County operating funds and a partnership with the Rosslyn Business Improvement District.
The design portion of stage two is funded through the County’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Funding for stage two construction of the expansion of Dark Star Park will come from the FY2023-2032 CIP, as part of the Meade Street Bridge project.
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