Challenge
Army Navy Drive serves as a vital east-west connector through Pentagon City in Arlington County, VA. It currently has six lanes of traffic with no bicycle or transit facilities, despite relatively low auto volumes and increasing demand for non-auto travel between the Pentagon, Pentagon City, Mount Vernon Trail, and Washington DC. Arlington County is exploring design concepts that incorporate protected bike lanes and dedicated transit lanes while minimizing delays and queuing for automobiles through the corridor.
Solution
Kittelson conducted a multimodal transportation analysis of existing and future conditions to evaluate baseline no-build conditions and design alternatives. The analysis included travel demand modeling using the MWCOG regional model, planning-level traffic analysis techniques, such as critical lane volume analysis, to evaluate lane configuration options, and VISSIM microsimulation to analyze the interactions between modes and the effects of closely spaced traffic signals. The analysis was conducted through iterations of working meetings with the County to test and revise alternatives.
The Outcome
Making Room for Bikes and Buses
The County is now refining the concept design based on results from the multimodal transportation analysis. Following public input, the County will proceed towards the production of final roadway design plans. Kittelson will prepare traffic signal design plans as part of the final design.