National Landing to see $4B in transportation investment during next decade

Arlington home to Amazon HQ2 to expand transit capacity

Published January 5, 2021 by Sydney Lake

A report released by the National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) on Tuesday details $4 billion worth of area transportation projects that will be underway during the next decade.

The National Landing area includes Arlington’s Crystal City (where e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. is establishing its $2.5 billion East Coast HQ2 headquarters), Pentagon City and Potomac Yard. During the next decade, Amazon plans to develop about 6 million square feet of office space in National Landing.

Solely funded by the National Landing BID, the “Mobility Next” report details eight major public-private projects aimed at increasing transit capacity, expanding regional access and more pedestrian-friendly options.

“Far from being an urban planner’s pipe dream or some unattainable transportation wish list, each of the projects outlined in National Landing’s Mobility Next benefits from large-scale public-private support and the identification of dedicated funding streams,” National Landing BID President and Executive Director Tracy Sayegh Gabriel said in a statement.

Transportation projects include:

Adding a pedestrian connection to National Airport
Passenger rail investments, including doubling Virginia Railway Express (VRE) service, including all-day, bidirectional VRE service, weekend and late-night service
New Amtrak service to National Landing and National Airport, allowing access to more than 20 destinations in Virginia and the Northeast Corridor
Expanded regional rail, which will place an additional 765,000 residents within a 60-minute commute of National Landing
Adding four miles of protected bike lanes
Transforming an existing, elevated highway into a walkable urban street

“[E]ach of the projects are intended to complement one another in ways that vastly enhance mobility for everyone traveling to, from, or within National Landing, whether by Metro, commuter rail, plane, car, bike, foot or other mode of transportation,” Gabriel said in a statement.