Meade St. bridge alternatives under study

Despite Rosslyn's busy Monday night event schedule, civic-spirited residents gathered Monday night to hear about the Meade Street Bridge Alternatives Study and to provide observations, insights, and suggestions.

Dangerous intersections for vehicles and pedestrians and heavy bus traffic at the Meade St. bridge have long been neighborhood concerns.  Accident statistics document the reality of these concerns.  From the beginning of 2008 to the end of 2009, 18 reported vehicle collisions have occurred about the intersection of the Arlington Blvd. service road and N. Meade St.  Common accidents have been rear-end collisions heading onto east-bound Arlington Blvd and collisions between cars pulling out from the Arlington Blvd. service road and cars heading north on Meade St. into Rosslyn.

The Meade St. Bridge Alternatives Study is considering and evaluating alternatives to serve the following goals:

• improve bicycle and pedestrian access and safety along the corridor
• minimize vehicular and pedestrian conflict points
• improve streetscape character of the corridor
• improve bicycle, pedestrian, and motor vehicle wayfinding along the corridor
• maintain acceptable level of service for all transportation modes

Improvements to pedestrian safety and vehicle flow about the Meade St. bridge have already been made.  Additional, more comprehensive concept designs for improving the bridge are being considered.

At the meeting on Monday night, residents noted considerable traffic, including bus traffic, exiting Rt. 50 eastbound and then turning left on Meade St.  Residents also expressed concern about the extent of the Rosslyn's proposed Corridor of Light public art.  While some residents enjoyed a previous light sculpture (CO2LED) installed on the traffic island at the north end of the bridge, others seem to still be pained by that experience.  Residents noted the need for more signs to help vehicles find the entrance to the Iwo Jima.  The high bridge sidewalk relative to the road surface and its narrowness make the bridge unfriendly to pedestrians.  In addition the ugly, rusted metal fence that lines both sides of the bridge is becoming increasingly incongruous with Rosslyn's growing reputation for fashion consciousness and exquisite artistic sensibility.

You have additional opportunities to contribute your observations, insights, and suggestions about the Meade St. bridge.   You can email them to Arlington County staffer David Goodman (email form here) or to Daniel Biggs (dbiggs@tooledesign.com), a Toole Design Group architect who is working on the project.  An additional stakeholder input meeting will be help in March.  A presentation of the preferred alternative will occur in April. The final plan is set to be finished by June.