Members of the public are being asked to weigh in on the type of pedestrian bridge they would like to see linking Crystal City to Reagan National Airport.
Arlington County and the Virginia Department of Transportation are considering two alternatives for the bridge that is intended to carry people walking, biking, scooting or skateboarding. It’s not yet been determined exactly where the bridge would be placed between Crystal City and the airport.
While the Pentagon in Arlington was built in about 16 months back in 1941, it was more than 19 months ago that the county awarded the first contract to study the environmental impact of such a bridge that the county said will take three to four years to construct. The pedestrian bridge must span a core area of about 2,000 feet.
One potential bridge design would place the bridge between the future VRE Crystal City Station at 2011 Crystal Drive and the airport, connecting to Level L2 of the Terminal 2 parking garage.
A second potential design would be a bridge between 2231 Crystal Drive and the airport and connect to Level L3 of the Terminal 2 parking garage.
The first alternative would eliminate 40 parking spaces at that parking garage; the second alternative would eliminate some 130 parking spaces.
Both designs would include options for linking the bridge with the Mount Vernon Trail.
The public is being asked to share input until Nov. 6, and the project team is planning to hold a virtual public meeting on Oct. 25.
The public’s feedback will be part of the environmental assessment expected to be ready in spring 2023.
