The meeting of Rosslyn Transportation Study Stakeholders this morning was
interesting. A large number of Arlington County staffers, the study
consultants, a number of business owners/developers, RAFOM, and NRCA were
represented. The consultants gave a brief presentation and a lively
discussion ensued.

The consultants are in an "information gathering" mode and have been
provided with a large number of earlier studies . . . from 1968 onwards.
The group suggested some other studies that the consultants had not yet
seen, such as the draft ULI study, a metro study, and the "In Between" Study
(focusing on the blocks between Rosslyn and Clarendon West of Rhodes St.
Since the transportation study will precede development of the Rosslyn
Sector Plan, some items may be outside the purview of the transportation
study and their consideration deferred until the Sector Plan.

The effort will be looking at all forms of transportation relating to
Rosslyn including vehicular traffic, buses (metro buses, shuttles and tour
buses), transit, bicycles, and pedestrians. One request that was made was
to differentiate between local usage of transportation -- i.e., trips where
origin or destination is Rosslyn -- and pass-through transportation and to
favor transportation system modifications that would serve the Rosslyn
community first and foremost. Requests were made for the consultants to
consider how any proposed modifications would be prioritized and phased.
The consultants were also asked to estimate the costs of any proposed
modifications and to quantify insofar as possible any perceived benefits to
Rosslyn.

The study is to take a long range view of Rosslyn so many of the suggestions
may be for implementation in longer planning horizons -- up to 20 years out.
It was noted that the goal of the 1968 study was to move as much traffic as
possible *through* Rosslyn, whereas now the goal might be better expressed
as enabling Rosslyn as a destination in its own right -- encouraging
Rosslyn's development as a downtown area.

Some of the significant items that will be looked at (not listed in any
particular order) include:

(1) the "Loop Road" -- potential organizing element for pedestrians;
potential to demolish elevated portions since the Newseum is removing the
art.
(2) the Ft. Myer tunnel
(3) potential for two-waying of Lynn St. and Ft. Myer Drive and related bus
issues
(4) potential for having bus staging areas off site (perhaps in an
under-utilized portion of Gateway Park) so that the number of bus bays may
be rationalized -- and who exactly is using the various shuttle buses and
which of these are these beneficial to the Rosslyn community (and is there
unnecessary duplication)?
(5) squaring of blocks, kinder and perhaps shorter and more intelligently
placed pedestrian crosswalks
(6) potential for connection to Roosevelt Island from central Rosslyn
(7) pedestrian experience between Key Bridge and Iwo Jima
(8) accommodation for tour buses (an Arlington-wide problem)
(9) vehicular circulation patterns and the possible breaking up of some very
long narrow blocks in downtown Rosslyn
(10) the skywalk system (and the necessity of the Key Blvd/metro skywalk to
the "uphill" community).

Two new items that I had not heard before today are:

(1) That the District is considering dismantling the Whitehurst Freeway.
In some scenarios (there are four options as well as a "do nothing"
alternative now being considered), there would be a ramp from Key Bridge to
lower K Street, in other scenarios, there would not be a ramp and all Key
Bridge traffic would be forced onto M Street. This might actually relieve
some traffic in Rosslyn because M Street congestion would force motorists to
choose other bridges for their commute. Obviously, Rosslyn cannot control
what the District does in this regard.

(2) That the county has acquired land necessary to extend Quinn St. through
to Clarendon Boulevard, which will relieve the round the block traffic
between Rhodes and Pierce Streets. The extension of Quinn St. is expected
to be accomplished within the next couple of years.

The next meeting of the Stakeholders group is expected to be sometime in
July.

Jennifer