Arlington may soon be the San Francisco of the East when it comes to the clang, clang, clang of the trolley.
The Arlington County Board approved a plan Wednesday to redesign Columbia Pike to bring back foot traffic.
As part of the plan, the county would reintroduce streetcars that would run along the thoroughfare.
“The goal is to make Columbia Pike a walkable Main Street, a place with small shops and cafes,” said Dennis Leach, county transportation director. “This will give us our best chance at accomplishing those goals.”
Columbia Pike was built between the 1930s and 1950s. It had the space to support the small retail shops and parking lots that accommodated a nation falling in love with the automobile. But with an ever-growing population, the metropolitan area in general, and Arlington in particular, is looking for ways to move forward while retaining old-time charm.
“A modern streetcar system will bring us a step closer to transforming Columbia Pike into a pedestrian-friendly Main Street,” said Arlington County Board Chairman Christopher Zimmerman.
The plan calls for using street cars in conjunction with buses along a 5-mile route running from Pentagon City to Skyline in Fairfax County. The system would mirror Metro’s Yellow and Blue lines, running every six minutes.
The plan also calls for streetcars to operate in the same traffic lanes as cars, allowing sidewalks to be used for the car platforms. There would be three or four stops every mile. The design work and the cost estimates based on those designs have yet to be started.
Early cost estimates based on similar projects elsewhere in the country put the tab for the project at between $110 million and $120 million.
The project will move to the design and cost-analysis phase later this year if the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors give its approval. That vote could come as early as May.
Making a comeback
» The earliest streetcar in the region traces back to the 1890s and ran in the areas of present-day Crystal City, Mount Vernon and Fairfax.
» In the late 19th and early 20th century, there were three separate companies running lines in the region.
» The original companies could not compete with the automobile and disappeared from the scene in the early 1940s.
