Metro News Release

For immediate release: June 19, 2003

Columbia Pike Metrobus service to be restructured

A public hearing on the proposed restructuring of the Columbia Pike Line (Routes 16A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and J), the Annandale-Skyline City-Pentagon Line (Route 16L), the Shirlington-Pentagon Line (Routes 16S, U, W, and X), and the Skyline City Line (Route 28G) will be held on Monday, July 7, at 7:30 p.m. in room 126 of the Arlington Mill Community Center, 4975 Columbia Pike in Arlington.

The Metro Board of Directors has agreed to consider restructuring the regional Metrobus routes serving Columbia Pike in Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, and Fairfax County to improve transit service along the busy corridor.

A combined total of 273 weekday, 132 Saturday, and 73 Sunday Metrobus trips are operated on the Columbia Pike, Shirlington-Pentagon, and Annandale-Skyline City-Pentagon lines, serving 10,000 weekday, 4,500 Saturday, and 1,400 Sunday passengers. Twenty-five morning and afternoon peak scheduled buses operate as frequently as every three to five minutes during rush hours along the Arlington portion of Columbia Pike.

Seventy percent of the passenger activity along the Columbia Pike corridor occurs in Arlington County and 30 percent in Fairfax County.

Last spring, the Arlington County Board adopted a plan for revitalization along Columbia Pike to serve as a framework for the redevelopment of the Pike, one of Arlington’s most vital commercial and residential corridors. As part of the revitalization plan, the County’s long term transit plan for the corridor envisions developing a transitway for light rail, rubber-tired tram, or express bus system. This transit line would run at street level, and in places would operate in its own lane, separate from other traffic. It would connect with one or more Metrorail stations on the eastern end and extend west beyond Arlington to Fairfax County.

This high capacity transit service would be supplemented by coordinated layers of local bus service, including neighborhood shuttles, crosstown connecting routes, and regional feeder lines to form a comprehensive transit network. The county’s goal is to enable anyone living in the Columbia Pike corridor to easily and conveniently use public transit for much or all of their daily activities.

The Columbia Pike plan recognizes that the current Metrobus Route 16 service is a vital transportation resource in the corridor. To achieve the long-term goal of a high capacity transit system for the corridor, the plan specifies interim steps to improve transit such as improved bus stops, shelters, and implementation of signal priority measures.

As a first step toward developing a high quality transit system for the Columbia Pike corridor, WMATA and the Arlington County Department of Public Works have worked closely in developing a comprehensive Metrobus service restructuring plan. It simplifies the current route structure from 12 routes to seven (Routes 16A, B, D, E, G, H, and J) and concentrates the majority of service on Columbia Pike between the Pentagon, Pentagon City, Baileys Crossroads, Culmore, and Annandale. Most of the neighborhood branches in Arlington currently serviced by regional Routes 16C, G, U, W, and X would be replaced by Arlington Transit (ART) Routes 41, 71, 72, and 73, as well as portions of proposed all-day Routes 16G and H. A total of approximately 400 weekday, 240 Saturday, and 200 Sunday trips are proposed to be operated on the Arlington portion of Columbia Pike, representing an overall service increase of 53 percent in the corridor.

The public hearing would touch on the following service proposals.

" Columbia Pike Line, Routes 16A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and J. Service between the Pentagon, Culmore, and Annandale would be restructured and simplified into four routes.
" Columbia Pike-Baileys Crossroads Line, Routes 16G, H, and J. Rush hour and weekday/weekend service would be restructured and improved to operate seven days a week between Pentagon City Metrorail station, Columbia Heights West, and Baileys Crossroads.
" Annandale-Skyline City-Pentagon Line, Route 16L. This service is proposed to be discontinued. Replacement service between Annandale and Baileys Crossroads during peak hours would be provided every 30 minutes by Routes 16A and 16D, which would offer limited stop service and consequently a comparably fast ride, compared to the current 16L service.
" Shirlington-Pentagon Line, Routes 16S, U, W, and X. This service is proposed to be discontinued. Replacement service would be provided over most of the Douglas Park (16U) and Barcroft (16X) neighborhood loops by ART Routes 72 and 41.
" Skyline City Line, Route 28G. The proposal calls for this to be rerouted during the weekday peak period to bypass Southern Towers to provide customers who now use 16L with a comparably fast ride between Skyline City and the Pentagon. Route 28G would be rerouted via Seminary Road, saving approximately five minutes per trip.

News release issued on June 19, 2003.