Crystal City, a new place that attracts people and businesses
Crystal City is one of the most car-centered districts in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Next to the Pentagon and Reagan National Airport, this city is undertaking several transportation projects to enhance mobility and walkability. These projects are part of a master plan envisioned many years ago to renew this once-thriving business district and transform it into a mixed-use neighborhood, taking advantage of its unique accessibility.
This article was published in a short version on the website of Arlington Transportation Partners on October 13, 2021
The eye of the storm
Crystal City is a storm of mobility. Interstate I-395, Richmond Drive Freeway (former Lee Highway or US Route 1), George Washington Parkway, Virginia Regional Express, Amtrak, Metrorail, Metroway BRT, Ronald Reagan National Airport, the Mount Vernon Trail, and the Pentagon itself all collide in this massive whirlpool of speed. And in the eye of that storm, giants of concrete and glass hosting agencies, contractors, hotels, and malls where a large part of this traffic ends.
This picture was the prospect of a true-modern city 60 years ago. In the last three decades, this same whirlpool impeded the city from adapting to present-day demands for mixed uses, walkability, tourism, and attracting new and young professionals. The Business Improvement District (BID) created in 2006, now rebranded as National Landing, reflects the County’s commitment to change this.
The plan received the support of a vast majority of residents and business owners, which triggered the interest of real estate developers who rapidly got hands-on. Over a dozen residential developments are under construction, and another dozen have just started work. Some office buildings were remade as condos or studios, and many are being renewed. The plan received significant backing in 2018 when Amazon announced the construction of its new headquarters in the area, bolstering the interest for new businesses and new residents. Local, State, and Federal authorities enforced their commitment to this endeavor and joined efforts to bring Crystal City to the 21st century.
Top five projects
Highlighted projects currently under development that will change mobility and the built environment in the area are:
Redesign of Route 1
This national highway is partially an elevated freeway that provides a quick pass across the traditional business center. At the same time, it divides the area east from westbound. VDOT is engaged in a program to convert this road into a multimodal urban boulevard. This program features disruptive ideas under study, such as bringing the intersections with 15th and 18th Street to an at-level crossing. Removing these six-lane bridges while forcing drivers to a full stop would bind the urban fabric of Downtown Crystal City and clear up a significant obstacle for pedestrians trying to get from one side to the other, encouraging new options for using transit and promoting healthier commuter habits. Currently, only minor construction works have begun while the bridge proposals are being thoroughly reviewed.
Extension of Metroway
This is a Bus-rapid-transit conceived as a fast transportation parallel to Metrorail between Braddock Station and Pentagon City, with the difference that it has intermediate stops across Alexandria City, Potomac Yards, and Crystal City Drive, and it benefits from the existing street infrastructure. It provides an efficient way of moving across the Route 1 axis or accessing the Metrorail system. Currently, the project is going through one of its final stages between 15th Street and Hayes Street.
Construction of a new VRE hub-station
Currently under development, the express railway will have an entirely new and expanded station near the existing one and a direct opening to the Water Park. This project aims to provide a more robust connection to the renewed district and Metrorail through a new entrance (read ahead).
Construction of a second entrance to the Metro Station
This new facility will provide safer and direct access to Metrorail from the future VRE station and all the new office buildings under construction. The project features the expansion of the station’s mezzanine and the construction of a new tunnel, escalator, stairs, and elevator entrance from Crystal Drive and located almost in front of the Water Park.
Crystal City to Reagan National Airport multimodal connector
One of the branches of the whirlpool is the corridor formed by the railways and the George Washington Parkway. This sort of wall isolates Reagan National Airport from the rest of the city, with the bridge on 26th Street as its only direct access. The connector aims to make it possible to walk from your home or office in the National Landing area to any terminal in just 10 minutes, overpassing Crystal Drive, the rail lines, and the parkway with an iconic aerial structure.
Change is on the way
These projects, along with dozens of other public and private initiatives, are in motion. Some of them are advanced in their construction, and others are just about to start. It’s just a matter of time to see how they will help Crystal City become a thriving place to work, live and visit. They prove that when governments, companies, and neighbors work together, they can achieve unimagined transformations.
