Trip on Future Main Street
When people talk about our transformed Main Street of the future, most are referring to the new private development in our commercial downtown area. What many people may not be aware of is the vision for the future street itself is equally exciting.
Whereas today visitors coming to Columbia Heights/Penrose from Pentagon City as they turn onto Columbia Pike from Joyce Street would see the following on their way to our community. 1. The drab Navy Annex buildings 2. The aerial blight of all the overhead utility poles 3. Four lanes of unreleaved asphalt with sidewalks right against the street. 4. As they approach the Sheraton they see a run down commercial strip more overhead utilities and 5. the decrepit Washington Blvd bridge 6. Passing under the bridge, they're greeted by a mass of overhead wires at the Quinn St intersection with a large rusty overhead support for interstate signage. 7. The sidewalks on either side are narrow and near the auto traffic. 8 There are overhead utilities until Scott St where now Columbia Pike widens into five lanes of asphalt. 9. Bicyclists who are brave enough to ride this stretch of Columbia Pike must take the lane from traffic. 10. The bus stop facilities along this whole drive are small and unremarkable. 11. When one finally enters the downtown area at Wayne St there is no on street parking and the sidewalks are devoid of pedestrian activity.
Come 2012, here's what the same visitors to our community, taking the same route, will or may see. I've indicated the changes that are already funded in bold. Coming from Pentagon City they turn onto Joyce St and head to Columbia Pike. 1. They are greeted by a new ceremonial entrance to Arlington Cemetary with a landscaped traffic circle. 2. Moving around the circle they head west along Columbia Pike. 3. On their right is the National Air Force Memorial with it's highest tip soaring 270 feet into the air 4. Columbia Pike is lined with trees along either side, with a wide median in the center including a double row of trees. 5. There are on-street bike lanes on both sides of Columbia Pike 6. There are no overhead utilities and 16 foot black Victorian lamp posts and Victorian traffic light mast arms along the whole stretch. 7. On their right along the north side of Columbia Pike, our visitors see a wide path with people walking or roller blading and families riding bicycles - this shared used path continues all the way to Wayne St. 8. As the visitors approach Oak St they see the new Arlington Heritage Center on the right, built where the western most Navy Annex building once stood. The Navy Annex is gone replaced with the greenery of an expanded cemetary. 9. Passing the Sheraton National hotel the visitors are stunned by the new Washington Boulevard Bridge and its disinctive details and artwork. 10. A new intersection has been constructed at Quinn St without the overhead wires, signage and old mast arms. 11. At Scott St (and further on at Courthouse Rd, Barton St, and Walter Reed Drive) the visitors are captivated by new steel and glass transit structures - these 'Super Stops' have all the amenities of a metro rail stop 12. Also at Scott St there are new traffic signals to allow transit riders and pedestrians to safely cross the street. 13. The visitors continue on, impressed by the number of riders they see in the on-street bike lanes and the tree canopy provided by the landscaped medians. 14 Car traffic is moving at about 23mph and everything is flowing consistently without any bunch ups. 15. At Wayne St, the onstreet bike lanes and the shared use path end and the visitors enter the downtown commercial area. 16. There is on-street parking on either side, providing a buffer between pedestrians and the traffic. 17. The visitors disembark at the Barton St stop just before the traffic signal at Cleveland St. 18. There is a large civic square - Penrose Square - with restaurants around the perimeter. The square is overflowing with pedestrians yet at the same time car traffic is moving easily in and out of the numerous shared parking facilities set within the buildings. The visitors know they have arrived in a thriving vibrant place.
To read more details about many of these enhancements planned for our main street, you can check out the transportation section of the Columbia Pike Initiative: A 2005 Update document at:
http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/CPHD/forums/columbia/
CPHDForumsColumbiaRevitalize.aspx
The pedestrian, bicyclist, transit and landscaping improvements are all a result of the recommendations of the Columbia Pike Streetspace Task Force, which Allen Muchnik and I served on for a year. The task force was lead by Inta Malis from Columbia Forest and was arguably one of the most successful citizen lead undertakings in Arlington County. Some of the future improvements such as the Air Force Memorial, the Arlington Heritage Center and the new cemetary improvements to Columbia Pike are lucky unplanned opportunities that are falling in our lap over the next years.
I will try and do a series of blog entries on many of the future improvements listed above to give people more understanding of the specifics.
Whereas today visitors coming to Columbia Heights/Penrose from Pentagon City as they turn onto Columbia Pike from Joyce Street would see the following on their way to our community. 1. The drab Navy Annex buildings 2. The aerial blight of all the overhead utility poles 3. Four lanes of unreleaved asphalt with sidewalks right against the street. 4. As they approach the Sheraton they see a run down commercial strip more overhead utilities and 5. the decrepit Washington Blvd bridge 6. Passing under the bridge, they're greeted by a mass of overhead wires at the Quinn St intersection with a large rusty overhead support for interstate signage. 7. The sidewalks on either side are narrow and near the auto traffic. 8 There are overhead utilities until Scott St where now Columbia Pike widens into five lanes of asphalt. 9. Bicyclists who are brave enough to ride this stretch of Columbia Pike must take the lane from traffic. 10. The bus stop facilities along this whole drive are small and unremarkable. 11. When one finally enters the downtown area at Wayne St there is no on street parking and the sidewalks are devoid of pedestrian activity.
Come 2012, here's what the same visitors to our community, taking the same route, will or may see. I've indicated the changes that are already funded in bold. Coming from Pentagon City they turn onto Joyce St and head to Columbia Pike. 1. They are greeted by a new ceremonial entrance to Arlington Cemetary with a landscaped traffic circle. 2. Moving around the circle they head west along Columbia Pike. 3. On their right is the National Air Force Memorial with it's highest tip soaring 270 feet into the air 4. Columbia Pike is lined with trees along either side, with a wide median in the center including a double row of trees. 5. There are on-street bike lanes on both sides of Columbia Pike 6. There are no overhead utilities and 16 foot black Victorian lamp posts and Victorian traffic light mast arms along the whole stretch. 7. On their right along the north side of Columbia Pike, our visitors see a wide path with people walking or roller blading and families riding bicycles - this shared used path continues all the way to Wayne St. 8. As the visitors approach Oak St they see the new Arlington Heritage Center on the right, built where the western most Navy Annex building once stood. The Navy Annex is gone replaced with the greenery of an expanded cemetary. 9. Passing the Sheraton National hotel the visitors are stunned by the new Washington Boulevard Bridge and its disinctive details and artwork. 10. A new intersection has been constructed at Quinn St without the overhead wires, signage and old mast arms. 11. At Scott St (and further on at Courthouse Rd, Barton St, and Walter Reed Drive) the visitors are captivated by new steel and glass transit structures - these 'Super Stops' have all the amenities of a metro rail stop 12. Also at Scott St there are new traffic signals to allow transit riders and pedestrians to safely cross the street. 13. The visitors continue on, impressed by the number of riders they see in the on-street bike lanes and the tree canopy provided by the landscaped medians. 14 Car traffic is moving at about 23mph and everything is flowing consistently without any bunch ups. 15. At Wayne St, the onstreet bike lanes and the shared use path end and the visitors enter the downtown commercial area. 16. There is on-street parking on either side, providing a buffer between pedestrians and the traffic. 17. The visitors disembark at the Barton St stop just before the traffic signal at Cleveland St. 18. There is a large civic square - Penrose Square - with restaurants around the perimeter. The square is overflowing with pedestrians yet at the same time car traffic is moving easily in and out of the numerous shared parking facilities set within the buildings. The visitors know they have arrived in a thriving vibrant place.
To read more details about many of these enhancements planned for our main street, you can check out the transportation section of the Columbia Pike Initiative: A 2005 Update document at:
http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/CPHD/forums/columbia/
CPHDForumsColumbiaRevitalize.aspx
The pedestrian, bicyclist, transit and landscaping improvements are all a result of the recommendations of the Columbia Pike Streetspace Task Force, which Allen Muchnik and I served on for a year. The task force was lead by Inta Malis from Columbia Forest and was arguably one of the most successful citizen lead undertakings in Arlington County. Some of the future improvements such as the Air Force Memorial, the Arlington Heritage Center and the new cemetary improvements to Columbia Pike are lucky unplanned opportunities that are falling in our lap over the next years.
I will try and do a series of blog entries on many of the future improvements listed above to give people more understanding of the specifics.
posted by Tom Greenfield at 1:27 PM
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