ARLINGTON, VA—Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), in conjunction with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Norfolk District, the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), announces that a portion of VA-244 Columbia Pike—between South Joyce Street and the VDOT facility located immediately east of South Oak Street—will be closed beginning January 23, 2023. The closure is due to ongoing construction as part of the cemetery’s Southern Expansion project.
“This closure is necessary to straighten the road to make room for more contiguous land in the new southern portion of the cemetery,” said ANC Director of Engineering Col. Thomas Austin. “We understand the level of inconvenience and disruption this construction causes to the residents who live along Columbia Pike and those who travel it every day. We are doing what we can to minimize those impacts and keep the community informed.”
The eastern portion of Columbia Pike is expected to remain closed until the summer of 2024. However, detours will allow vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians to access the area. Specific detours are as follows:
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Eastbound traffic on Columbia Pike will be rerouted onto the newly constructed South Nash Street. This street flows onto Southgate Road and routes eastbound drivers to the intersections of Columbia Pike, South Joyce Street and Southgate Road.
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Westbound traffic on Columbia Pike will turn right onto Southgate Road at its intersections with Columbia Pike and South Joyce Street. Then, drivers will turn left onto South Nash Street in order to flow back onto Columbia Pike going westbound.
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Northbound traffic from South Joyce Street will continue straight onto Southgate Road at its intersections with Columbia Pike and South Joyce Street. Drivers will then turn left onto South Nash and flow onto Columbia Pike.
Due to this road closure, the main entrance to the Air Force Memorial off Columbia Pike will be closed. During the duration of the closure, a temporary access road will be available off Southgate Road, between South Oak Street and South Joyce Street. Closure of the Air Force Memorial main entrance and the temporary access road and parking has been coordinated and supported by the Air Force District of Washington. The Memorial will remain open to the public during its regular hours
“While we understand that this closure will impact many in our Arlington community, we are looking forward to the improvements in infrastructure that it will bring to those who drive, bike, and walk along the soon to be south entrance of the cemetery,” said Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery Charles Alexander.
About the Arlington National Cemetery Defense Access Road Project
To achieve the vision of the Arlington National Cemetery Southern Expansion Project, the Defense Access Road Project will realign Columbia Pike and modify the South Joyce Street intersection and the Columbia Pike/Washington Boulevard (Route 27) interchange, and it will replace Southgate Road with a new segment of South Nash Street. As part of the realignment, a new location for the cemetery maintenance compound will be added to the south of Columbia Pike. The project also will improve multimodal capacity and safety by adding pedestrian and bicycle facilities as well as street lighting.
About the Arlington National Cemetery Southern Expansion Project
Southern Expansion, Arlington National Cemetery’s largest expansion project to date, will add 50 acres and more than 80,000 burial opportunities. This project will extend the life of the cemetery as Arlington National Cemetery continues to honor future generations for their service and sacrifices.
For more information, please follow ANC on social media @arlingtonnatl. USACE Norfolk’s social media accounts may be found at https://www.nao.usace.army.mil/Media/Social-Media/. Please see https://www.arlingtonva.us/About-Arlington/Newsroom for updates on road closures.