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Community Update Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway Construction & Proposed Operations Department of Environmental Services – Transportation Division October 2015
Community Update
Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway
Construction & Proposed Operations
Department of Environmental Services – Transportation Division
October 2015
Meeting Overview
• Purpose– Present and solicit feedback:
• Revised concept plan for Crystal Drive
• Revised proposal for Transitway operations
– Inform about Transitway construction status
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Agenda
• Welcome and meeting overview
• Updates– Project history
– Summary of community concerns
– Alternatives for Crystal Drive
– Proposed Transitway operations
– Construction update
• Next steps– Paving of Crystal Drive: October
– Request to advertise Transitway ordinance: November
Project History
• Transitway project based on extensive,
community-based planning process – Crystal City Sector Plan, adopted 2010: More
than 90 public meetings held during four-year
period
– After Sector Plan adoption, additional
community engagement during Transitway
design and construction (more than 15 meetings)
• Project documents made available
online after community feedback 4
Summary of Community Concerns
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Community Concerns
Feedback received about proposed ordinance through meetings with community and stakeholders:
– July 14, 2015 (community)
– September 2, 2015 (stakeholders)
– October 5, 2015 (stakeholders)
– October 8, 2015 (community)
Proposed ordinance has been revised to incorporate public input
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Community Concerns
Topic Community Concern County
Action
1. Project and
ordinance
background
Lack of clarity about the history/background of
the Transitway project and the proposed
ordinance
2. Hours of
transit
dedication
Proposed peak period bus-only lane hours are
longer than what is initially needed
• Original proposal: 5 to 10 am, 3 to 8 pm
3. Access to
bus-only lane
Unclear about who has access to the peak
period bus-only lane and when
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Community Concerns
Topic Community Concern County
Action
4. Right-hand
turns
• Unclear when drivers may enter the bus-only
lane to make a right turn
• Disparity between proposed ordinance and
Crystal Drive striping plan
5. Center
lane on
Crystal Drive
There is a need for a center left-turn lane
6. Truck
deliveries
Where will trucks be allowed to park to make
deliveries along Crystal Drive? Currently, they
park in the traffic lane.
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Community Concerns
Topic Community Concern County
Action
7. Bike riders • New bus-only lane may push bike riders from
the road to the sidewalk
• Removal of northbound bike lane on Crystal
Drive
8. Paving and
striping of
Crystal Drive
When and how will Crystal Drive be repaved and
restriped? What will it look like?
9. Education,
enforcement,
and
evaluation
• What is the communications and outreach
plan for Transitway operations?
• How will the Transitway ordinance be
enforced?
• How will Transitway be monitored/evaluated?
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Crystal Drive Alternatives
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Concepts - Crystal Drive
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New street configuration will be introduced after paving
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Crystal Drive Bicycle Data
Bike Counter Locations
Crystal Drive Bicycle Data
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No. of days = 22
Avg. daily total = 271
Crystal Drive Bicycle Data
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Options for Crystal Drive
West side of Crystal Drive - Convert some parking spots
near 23rd Street to morning loading/delivery zone
15AM PEAK HOUR PM PEAK HOUR
Metered
Parking
Loading Zone
3AM – 10AM
Options for Crystal Drive
West side of Crystal Drive - Convert parking spots mid-block
between 20th and 23rd Streets to morning loading/delivery zone
16AM PEAK HOUR PM PEAK HOUR
Metered
Parking
Loading Zone
3AM – 10AM
Options for Crystal Drive
Curbside Management
17AM PEAK HOUR PM PEAK HOUR
Metered
Parking
Zipcar
Disabled
Parking
Options for Crystal Drive
Options for morning loading/delivery zones
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AM PEAK HOUR
PM PEAK HOUR
Metered
Parking
Zipcar
Disabled
Parking
Loading Zone
3AM – 10AM
Proposed Transitway Operations
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Proposed Operations
• Hours for bus-only lane– Revised proposal from 10 hours per day to
6.5 hours per day
• 6:00 – 9:00 a.m. (morning rush hour)
• 3:30 – 7:00 p.m. (evening rush hour)
– Based on traffic capacity analysis and peak-
frequency transit operations: Metroway, ART,
and VRE
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Proposed Operations
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Proposed Operations
• Right turns at intersections and driveways
– Propose revising ordinance text:
• Give right turn access to bus-only lane within 100 feet
of intersections and driveways
– Ordinance will better match proposed lane
marking plan
– Based on right turning volumes, 100 feet
provides adequate capacity
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Right Turn Volumes
Northbound right turn volumes from Crystal Drive
– At 18th Street = 10 vehicles/hour
– At 20th Street = 40 vehicles/hour
– At 23rd Street = 176 vehicles/hour.
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Right turns
in peak hour
Turn lane
length
Westbound N Fairfax Dr at N Glebe Rd 420 veh/hr 150 ft
Eastbound Lee Highway at N Veitch St 325 veh/hr 140 ft
Southbound Fort Myer Dr at Wilson Blvd 375 veh/hr 100 ft
Northbound S. Quincy St at Campbell Ave 309 veh/hr 100 ft
Northbound Joyce St at Army Navy Dr 298 veh/hr 130 ft
Comparable intersections in Arlington:
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New Bike Signage
New signs in three locations:
• Curbside on Crystal Drive facing east
as riders come off Mt. Vernon trail at
the water park
• Mid-block crosswalk just north of the
water park, facing north
• Two mounted back-to-back just south
of the Mt. Vernon trail, adjacent to
new Transitway station at 18th Street
Communications & Outreach
Broad-based outreach for Transitway operations
• For at least two months leading up to Transitway opening and continuing after opening
• Activities to include:– Partnering with Crystal City Civic Association and BID
– Website, social media
– E-newsletters
– Flyers and brochures
– Postcard mailing
– Street teams at neighborhood events
– Commuter Stores
– Arlington Transportation Partners outreach to businesses, residential properties
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Enforcement
• Arlington Police will assist in the
Transitway education program and
work with the community to make this
partnership a success.– Officers will be educated to observe and
correct improper behavior.
– Increased enforcement will be triggered when
bus drivers report that their on-time
performance is off due to bus lane violators.
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Evaluation
County will actively monitor Transitway operations through:
– Traffic counts (pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles)• 24hr. mid-block counts
• Permanent count stations
– Transit metrics - Bus ridership, on-time performance
– Parking occupancy data
– CCTV traffic monitoring at signalized intersections
County will provide updates at Crystal City BID quarterly transportation briefings
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Construction Update
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Paving/Striping of Crystal Drive
– Milling and paving between 15th and 26th
Streets will begin Friday, October 9
– Paving will last for several weeks, weather
permitting
• May be performed at night in selected areas to
reduce traffic impacts
• Some lanes will be closed to traffic during this
work
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Transitway Construction
Schedule update: Construction activities expected to
continue through fall and into winter
• New transit lanes in Potomac Yard nearing completion
• Traffic signs and station signage being installed
• Testing LED signs and other equipment that will
support the Transitway
• Construction resumed at several station locations
where unforeseen utilities, poor soils and underground
obstructions had slowed work
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Next Steps
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Next Steps
• Milling and paving of Crystal Drive– Start date: Oct. 9
– Work will begin on 15th Street and head south
toward 26th Street
• Restriping, new lane configuration on
Crystal Drive– Start date: After completion of paving,
weather permitting
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Next Steps
• Transitway ordinance:– Request to Advertise: November
– Board Action: December
• Transitway construction:– Expected to continue through fall and into
winter
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