Pedestrian Bridge Linking Crystal City To Reagan National Under Review

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County and the Virginia Department of Transportation are seeking the public’s input on the type of pedestrian bridge they would like to see linking Crystal City to Reagan National Airport.

Arlington County and VDOT are considering two alternatives for the project — known as the Crystal City to Reagan National Airport Multimodal Connection, or CC2DCA — which is intended to carry people walking, biking, scooting, or skateboarding. The project’s goal is to transform how walkers and bikers use a bridge connecting the area now known as National Landing, where Amazon is building its second headquarters, to the airport.

"When complete in 2028, CC2DCA will make National Landing the only downtown in the country with a short, direct pedestrian and bike connection to an airport, creating a considerable competitive advantage and further enhancing economic development in Northern Virginia," the National Landing Business Improvement District said in a statement.

Arlington County and VDOT have identified their preferred facility type for the connection. Known as Alternative 7D, the preferred option would be a bridge stretching from the planned Virginia Railway Express rail station at 2011 Crystal Drive to Terminal B/C at National Airport. The bridge would provide a direct connection between Crystal Drive, the relocated VRE Station at National Landing Station, the Mount Vernon Trail and Reagan National Airport.

Another option, known as Alternative 9D, would be a bridge between 2231 Crystal Drive and Reagan National Airport. Structurally, the Alternative 9D bridge would be a girder bridge along its entire length. This bridge would connect to a future Amtrak platform via a stair tower.

According to Arlington County and VDOT, both Alternative 7D and Alternative 9D would meet the goals of the plans released five years to connect Crystal City with the airport. But Alternative 7D would provide a more direct air-rail connection because it would be more centrally located on the future VRE and Amtrak platforms, they said.

Both Alternative 7D and Alternative 9D also would have impacts on area resources. However, Alternative 7 would have substantially fewer impacts on Reagan National Airport parking than Alternative 9D. Alternative 9D would eliminate about 130 spaces in the Terminal 2 parking garage, while Alternative 7D would eliminate approximately 40 spaces, according to Arlington County and VDOT.

The public has until Nov. 6 to share input on the options, and the project team is planning to hold a virtual public meeting on Oct. 25. The public’s input will be considered as part of a federal environmental assessment of the project. The environmental assessment is expected to be completed by spring 2023.

Initially conceived by the Crystal City Business Improvement District, now known as the National Landing BID, in 2017 and listed as one of five transportation projects included in the 2018 agreement to bring Amazon’s HQ2 to Virginia, CC2DCA already has more than $38 million in committed funds, with Arlington County expecting completion by 2028.

The public can share their feedback by using an online feedback form that guides participants through a high-level overview of the study's progress to date, and asks for feedback along the way. The Oct. 25 virtual question and answer session will run from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The public can also submit input about the study and its progress so far by emailing comments to info@cc2dca.us.