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Updated 2/22/2010

About the Study

Columbia Pike Transit Initiative

The current objectives of the Columbia Pike Transit Initiative are to advance the project into the environmental documentation and preliminary engineering stage and ensure eligibility for potential federal and state grants. To accomplish this, the project team has completed the following technical tasks since the conclusion of the Local Alternatives Analysis of 2005 (AA) process:

Columbia Pike Transit Initiative - Chronology

In 2002, the Arlington County Board approved the Columbia Pike Initiative - A Revitalization Plan. Part visioning exercise and part implementation plan, the Board established how the future of transportation and development would look along Columbia Pike, and what steps would be taken to achieve the vision. Three major transit goals resulted from the 2002 Columbia Pike Initiative.

• Improve bus stops along Columbia Pike and provide better information for bus riders;
• Implement improvements to the bus services in the Columbia Pike corridor;
• Plan for long-term higher-capacity transit options.

The first two goals have been implemented through the PikeRide bus service. The Pike Transit Initiative has focused on the final goal – 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 Columbia Pike Transit Initiative will help to plan for this higher capacity system along the section of Columbia Pike within Fairfax County.

Between 2004 and 2005, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), in coordination with Arlington County, Fairfax County, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and with input from the Federal Transit Administration, conducted the Local Alternatives Analysis of 2005 (AA). The final document details the alternatives considered, technical evaluation process, public and stakeholder input, and conclusions of the study.

The AA began with a wide range of alternatives, which were narrowed down to a small set of alternatives through extensive public input and technical analysis. This small set of alternatives included a "No Action (or Baseline) Alternative," and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Streetcar, and Modified Streetcar Alternatives.

The Modified Streetcar Alternative, recommended as the preferred transit investment for the corridor, combines elements of the other alternatives – notably a streetcar project with continued extensive bus service – to improve transit service efficiency and make a significant investment in the community.

One of the goals in defining this alternative was to develop a functional project that could be constructed as inexpensively as possible, yet would achieve community goals. Basic features of this alternative are as follows:

• The streetcar line would extend five miles between Skyline and Pentagon City.
• Streetcar service would operate at constant six-minute headways throughout the day.
• Streetcar service would be augmented with WMATA buses, carry peak passenger demand, and supply service for trips such as those from Annandale that are more efficiently accommodated via bus service.

In the spring of 2006, the Modified Streetcar Alternative was endorsed for further study by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Arlington County Board. These endorsements  allowed the project to advance to its current phase, preparation for the environmental documentation and preliminary engineering phase.