$1M Bus Stop: Arlington County Puts Program on 'Pause'

Arlington County has put its Super Stop program on hold in the wake of public outcry against the cost and design of the $1 million bus stop that opened earlier this month.

The cost of the stop, first reported by ARLnow.com, has been the subject of regular criticism from residents in the days since it opened, which have included two budget hearings and a heated town hall regarding the planned Columbia Pike streetcar.

"Congratulations, your million-dollar bus stop has gone viral," Arlington County Taxpayers Association President Tim Wise told the county board this week.

Aside from local and regional publications, national publications — like Reason magazine — have latched onto the story.

Arlington is "reassessing the design and timing of the roll out of its planned Columbia Pike Super Stops in the wake of public concern about the recently opened Walter Reed Super Stop," according to a news release.

“Super Stops are a key long-term transit investment for our County,” Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan said in a statement released Friday. “They are integral to our efforts to transform Columbia Pike to a more transit-oriented Main Street. We have to get them right. Although our Walter Reed Super Stop is a prototype, and has only been operating for about a week, I’ve heard the community’s concerns about its design and cost. I have asked staff to pause the program while we look for ways to improve the design and reduce costs of future Super Stops.”

The statement continues: “This project took longer and cost more than it should have. We have an obligation to the taxpayers of Arlington, the Commonwealth and the nation to ensure that our infrastructure projects are delivered in a timely, cost-effective manner. We will do better.”

The county has rescinded a bid invitation for the next Super Stop, at Penrose Square, pending design and cost reassessment, the release states.

The county has $20 million identified in its 10-year Capital Improvement Plan for the construction of the remaining 23 Super Stops, to be paid for by a mix of federal, state and local dollars.

The county built the first stop in partnership with Metro. Officials have said the county will build the remaining stops on its own and have cited county construction projects that have come in on-time and on-budget.

The first Super Stop, which opened this month at Walter Reed and Columbia Pike, is designed to hold 10 to 15 passengers and allow two buses to stop in front of it at a time. Real-time ART and Metrobus information is available, and the county hopes to install an exit fare machine in the future.

“I ask riders to keep in touch with us about their experiences with the Walter Reed Super Stop,” Donnellan said. “Our goal is to build stops that are safe, comfortable and encourage more people to use transit.”

The county is asking comments and suggestions regarding the project to be emailed to des@arlingtonva.us with “Super Stop” in the subject line.