Pershing Drive Complete Street Improvements
Location
Pershing Drive from North Barton Street to North Piedmont Street, Arlington, VA 22201 View Map
38.88113999999999,-77.087288
Pershing Drive from North Barton Street to North Piedmont Street ,
Arlington, VA 22201
Pershing Drive from North Barton Street to North Piedmont Street ,
Arlington, VA 22201
Pershing Drive Complete Street Improvements
StatusConstruction
Construction Update - May 2024
Arlington County has reached the 30% design milestone for segments G and H of the Pershing Drive improvements project. The design will make the pilot treatments on North Pershing Drive between Washington Boulevard and North Barton Street permanent.
As these segments prepare for construction, crews will remove the planters at North Cleveland Street and replace them with flex posts, which will remain in place during construction. When work on this segment is completed, the flex posts will be replaced with plants that will be managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
The work at the intersection of Washington Blvd and North Pershing Drive completed in June 2022. New ADA compliant ramps and curb extensions help to make the intersection safer and more accessible for all users. The sidewalk on the south side of 7th Street North was reconfigured to accommodate the relocation of the Capital Bikeshare station. The traffic signals for the intersection have been upgraded.
About the Project
This project seeks to improve safety and accessibility for all users throughout the Barton-Piedmont corridor, within the constraints of a narrow/limited right-of-way. It further seeks to consolidate bus stops to improve bus service efficiency and improve bus stops to better support riders and meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These goals are consistent with the County’s Master Transportation Plan.
The County Board approved the contract to begin work on Phase I of the project at their Jan. 25, 2020, meeting. Phase 1 construction began in spring 2020 and was completed in spring 2021. This work included improvements at the following Pershing Drive intersections: North Fillmore Street, North Garfield Street, North Highland Street, and North Oakland Street.
On March 20, 2021, the County Board approved a contract with Ardent Company, LLC for streetscape improvements at the intersection of North Pershing Drive and Washington Boulevard. Construction began in summer 2021.
Background
Pershing Drive is categorized as an urban minor arterial and serves thousands of automobile trips each day. Pershing Drive also supports bus service (ART & WMATA) and many bicyclists and pedestrians. The section of Pershing Drive between North Barton Street and North Piedmont Street has been identified to improve safety and access for all modes of transportation, especially for pedestrians.
Pershing Drive is currently marked by many challenging intersections with long crossing distances, non ADA-compliant curb ramps and missing crosswalks. The Pershing Drive right-of-way is variable and very narrow between North Glebe Road and Washington Boulevard, meaning little space is available for accommodating multimodal improvements.
Most bus stops on Pershing Drive are also not ADA-compliant. Some stops have been identified as being too closely spaced and failing to meet spacing guidelines recommended by the County’s Bus Stop Design Standards.
An analysis of existing conditions along North Pershing Drive began in summer 2015. In early 2016, Transportation staff developed preliminary concept plans for spot improvements along the corridor, referred to collectively as the Pershing Drive Complete Streets project. The concepts were shared with the Lyon Park and Ashton Heights Civic Associations, as well as the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committees.
Conceptual plan development
The preliminary concepts presented in early 2016 recommended improvements at intersections that met one or more of the following criteria:
- The intersection supports bus stops that require improvements (North Nelson Street, North Kenmore Street, North Jackson Street, North Garfield Street).
- The intersection is signalized and in need of upgrading from the very old cable-span signals to the new County-wide standard signals that comply with the ADA and have a longer life cycle.
- The intersection was previously identified by residents as being problematic for pedestrians, and staff subsequently reviewed it and determined improvements were needed. (North Oakland Street, North Garfield Street, North Danville Street, North Cleveland Street and North Barton Street).
Staff received many comments on the preliminary concepts and reviewed them all. This chart summarizes some of the most frequently heard comments and notes staff’s action.
The revised scope of the project includes improvements to intersections and continues to implement the Bus Stops Consolidation Plan.
Revised concepts were presented at a joint meeting with the Lyon Park and Ashton Heights Civic Associations on May 31, 2017. The revised concepts are indicated in this chart which includes links to revised concept plans.
Designs
The conceptual design phase for Areas A to F of the corridor study area was completed in July 2017. View the Pershing Drive Complete Streets proposed improvements:
Pershing Drive Complete Streets proposed improvements
Pilot: Pershing Drive between Washington Boulevard and North Barton Street
During the planning process, two concepts were generated for improving the section of North Pershing Drive between Washington Boulevard and North Barton Street. The first concept featured a planted median and the second featured protected bike lanes.
Spring 2018 - Concept Design
An open house was held on May 22, 2018, at the Lyon Park Community Center regarding the two design concepts for this section of Pershing Drive. Materials presented at the open house included:
The comment period for these options ended on June 6, 2018. The feedback submitted was considered by County staff to determine which concept to implement as a pilot installation. Overall feedback generally showed strong support for the protected bicycle lane, Option B. Where possible, staff revised the project design to mitigate concerns about on-street parking and to incorporate additional safety enhancements at the Washington Boulevard intersection.
Pilot installation
A pilot, or test, installation of safety and accessibility improvements was implemented on Pershing Drive between Washington Boulevard and North Barton Street in October 2018. The pilot installation includes the addition of pedestrian/streetscape enhancements, protected bike lanes, and bus service efficiencies to improve safety for all roadway users. The pilot is expected to remain in place for several years.
*Note the following adjustments to the final design plan:
- Due to the alignment of existing curb ramps, the pilot striping plan for Pershing Drive has change slightly at the North Cleveland Street intersection – one crosswalk instead of two will be installed across Pershing Drive at North Cleveland Street.
- The beige shading at the painted nubs will not be installed because the County does not have funding to maintain this type of marking long-term.
Project Phasing
The project will be implemented in phases.
Phase 1: Address crossing volumes and collision data
Phase I focuses on the following intersections with the greatest need for improvement due to crossing volumes and collision data:
- Install four-way stop at North Irving Street (installed summer 2017)
- North Fillmore Street - Completed
- North Garfield Street - Completed
- North Oakland Street - Completed, prioritized to coordinate with Neighborhood Conservation Program sidewalk project on south leg of intersection
- North Highland Street - Completed
- Washington Boulevard at Pershing Drive - Under construction
Phases 2-3: Remaining Intersections
Phase II/III will include the remaining intersections and will be designed and implemented upon funding availability:
- North Nelson Street
- North Kenmore Street
- North Jackson Street
- Areas east of Washington Boulevard to North Barton Street
Funding
Funding for Phase I of this project is provided by the Decal Fee Program, the Virginia Department of Transportation Revenue Sharing Program and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.
Additional funding for future phases will be sought through the County’s Capital Improvement Plan budgeting process.
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