Project Vision, Goals, and Objectives

Columbia Pike is a vibrant, mixed-use community with a diverse population and access to a wide variety of retail and commercial services. As one of Arlington’s urban villages, Columbia Pike has a significant amount of pedestrian activity and also features transit service provided by Metrobus and Arlington Transit (ART).

The vision of Arlington, as adopted in policies and guidelines for the corridor, is to better accommodate pedestrian movements and bring out high-quality, frequent, and reliable transit service by enhancing the ability to move and promoting transit-oriented development in the corridor.

In support of this vision, the goal of this project is to complete a transportation analysis, environmental documentation, and preliminary design for multimodal street improvements along Columbia Pike to provide a corridor that achieves an appropriate balance of travel options. The analysis will examine alternatives for bringing improvements that will provide for the following:

• Modified street cross-section with reconfigured travel and left-turn lanes
• On-street parking
• Bicycle lanes, routes, and related facilities
• Wider sidewalks
• Enhanced pedestrian crossings
• Landscaped median areas
• Street trees
• Utility relocations

To meet this goal, the project will attempt to accomplish the following objectives:

• Build upon the Columbia Pike Street Space Planning Task Force's recommendations and develop interim designs on a block-by-block basis that can be implemented in the near future

• Complete a multimodal transportation analysis
• Examine existing and a limited amount of future vehicular traffic for recreational, commercial, residential, and institutional demands
• Serve travelers through current and future transportation options
• Coordinate with many other on-going efforts along Columbia Pike

• Complete necessary environmental studies and NEPA documentation and gain Arlington, VDOT, and FHWA approvals

• Provide streetscape recommendations
• Design to meet Arlington standards and the requirements of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Support the redevelopment of several neighborhoods and commercial locations along the corridor and in South Arlington
• Accommodate the future implementation of high-quality, high-frequency mass transit in the corridor