Metro News Release

For immediate release: November 13, 2003

Metrobus to hold two public hearings on proposed restructuring of Walker Chapel-Pentagon line, routes 22A, B, C, and F

Metrobus officials along with the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and Arlington County will hold two public hearings on the proposed restructuring of regional Metrobus routes 22 A, B, C, and F to improve on-time performance. The two public hearings will be held on the same night, Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. One will be held in the Arlington County Board Room, 2100 Clarendon Boulevard in Arlington, VA; and the other at Stuart High School, 3301 Peace Valley Lane in Falls Church, VA.

The proposed changes came out of the Regional Bus Study which recommends that routes 22 A-F be split into two separate lines at the Ballston-MU Metrorail station. The restructured 22 line, which would be renamed the Barcroft-South Fairlington Line, would operate between the Pentagon and Ballston-MU Metrorail station over a simplified routing to provide improved on-time performance on the most productive segment of the line. The new route would serve 78 percent of the current 22 line passengers. To improve productivity, the lower productive east and west ends of the current routes 22 A, B, C and F are proposed to be operated by the Arlington Transit Service (ART).

From Ballston, service would operate via the current 22 B, C routes to Shirlington (22 C operates via Culpepper Gardens). From Shirlington, service would operate over a revised routing via South Fairlington to the Pentagon as follows: from Quincy and 28th Streets, continue on South Quincy Street, 31st Street South, South Abingdon Street, 34th Street South, South Stafford Street, 32nd Road South, Quaker Lane, I-395 to the Pentagon, and return. The routing via South Abingdon and 34th Streets provides additional service to South Fairlington over a straighter routing than the current 25 A-R routes, which would still be retained over their present route to South Fairlington. Routes 22 B, C weekday headways and span of service would be comparable to existing service, every 20 minutes during peak and 30 to 40 minutes off-peak from approximately 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Between Pentagon City station and the Arna Valley/Avalon Bay area, Arlington County proposes to operate a new ART route via Army-Navy Drive to replace route 22 service in that area. The portion of route 22 in Alexandria through the Parkfairfax area would be discontinued. Parkfairfax would continue to be served by routes 10 B, 23 A, C and 25 A, G, J, P, and R.

On the west end of the present 22 line, a second new ART route is proposed to serve most of the low density residential areas north and west of Ballston currently served by routes 22 A, B, and F. The proposed ART route would operate between Ballston-MU and East Falls Church Metrorail stations via North Quincy Street, Military Road, Glebe Road, Williamsburg Boulevard, and Sycamore Street.

Reverse circulation service currently provided by infrequent route 22 F trips on Glebe Road between Ballston and Williamsburg Boulevard would be discontinued. Replacement service on most of the Glebe Road portion of route 22 F would be provided by routes 23 A, C, 38 B, and ART service.

The segment of routes 22 A, B between East Falls Church Metrorail station and Seven Corners would be discontinued. Alternative service is available on routes 1 B-Z between Seven Corners and Ballston-MU Metrorail station, routes 4 A-S between Seven Corners and Rosslyn Metrorail station, and Falls Church GEORGE routes 26 A, E between Roosevelt and Wilson Boulevards and East Falls Church Metrorail station.

Individuals who wish to be heard at the public hearing should furnish, in writing, five days prior to the hearing date, their name, address, phone number, and organization affiliation, if any, to Harold Bartlett, Secretary and Chief of Staff, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001. Each speaker is limited to five minutes. Call 202-962-1092 for more information.

News release issued on November 13, 2003.