Metro News Release

For immediate release: May 6, 2004

Metro officials to oversee Columbia Pike transit initiative

Citizens to provide input during design workshops

Here we go again.

Aerial photo, very nice.

Officials with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the lead agency conducting the Columbia Pike Transit Initiative, provided an overview of the project and series of planned public workshops to the Metro Planning, Development and Administration Committee today. The Pike Transit Initiative will analyze alternatives for a new high-capacity and environmentally friendly transit service along a four-mile stretch of Columbia Pike from the Pentagon/Pentagon City area in Arlington to Baileys Crossroads in Fairfax. The study team is working closely with local jurisdictions, neighborhoods and community groups to determine whether bus rapid transit, streetcar or light rail is best suited for the corridor. The corridor supports nearly 12,000 bus trips and 50,000 vehicles per day. In addition, the area’s population and employment are projected to increase significantly. Two public workshops and two open houses have been scheduled to encourage the public to assist in making the decisions related to the selection of transportation mode, alignment and stop locations along Columbia Pike. At the public workshops, citizens will receive a brief overview of the Pike Transit Initiative and have an opportunity to provide comments and suggestions. The workshops will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, at the Arlington Career Center, 816 S. Walter Reed Drive in Arlington and on Wednesday, May 19, at the Mason District Government Center Community Room, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale. The two open houses will be held to present initial findings gathered from the workshops and obtain additional public comments. They will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, May 21 at the Goodwin House (Baileys Crossroads), 3440 S. Jefferson Street in Falls Church, and from 6 to 7:30 p.m. also on Friday, May 21, at the Sheraton National Hotel Galaxy Room, 900 S. Orme Street in Arlington. The study will be carried out in conjunction with recommendations outlined in previous Arlington County studies and in Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan. The Pike Transit Initiative will recommend transit investments to:" increase mobility within the corridor;" contribute to and serve as a catalyst for economic development;" provide a safe environment for all modes of travel;" improve regional transportation connections; and" complement community goals to create a pedestrian-friendly environment in the corridor. In 2002, the Arlington County Board approved the " Columbia Pike Initiative: A Revitalization Plan," which established a vision for transportation and development along the Columbia Pike corridor, and outlined the necessary steps to realize the vision. One of hte goals was to evaluate and plan for long term higher-capacity transit options along Columbia Pike. In addition, recognizing the growing need for alternatives to the automobile, Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan supports measures to increase the use of public transit. Transit connections linking neighborhoods, employment centers and the regional Metrorail system are cited as specific policy goals. The Pike Transit Initiative will help to plan for this higher capacity system in the Baileys Crossroads area in Fairfax County. For more information visit www.piketransit.com or call the project information line at 703-892-2776.

News release issued on May 6, 2004.