Arlington County's Transportation, Engineering and Operations Bureau is working with Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall to address safety concerns at Henry Gate.
"As an immediate action, Arlington County has placed a portable LED light outside of the Henry Gate to improve pedestrian safety," said Jessica Baxter of Arlington County's Transportation Office.
Henry Gate re-opened for pedestrian-use only this summer and is located near the intersection Arlington Boulevard and Pershing Drive. According to Ron Foster, chief of the traffic investigation section of the Directorate of Emergency Services, the installation's Safety Office conducted a review of the access point. And that review "produced some issues that could arise while pedestrians [are] attempting to cross Route 50 when visiting establishments that service the community, along with the bus and bike route outside of the installation," he said.
He also said that the crosswalk timing light was too short and did not allow adequate time for pedestrians to cross the heavily-traveled roadway safely.
"Proper signage and lighting was not available either during the night hours, which would help motorists identify pedestrians attempting to utilize the crosswalk," he added."
Baxter said that the county is currently investigating other possible improvements at the location, including both signal timing and signage.
"These improvements have to be coordinated with the Virginia Department of Transportation because of their ownership of Route 50 [Arlington Boulevard]," she said. "We hope to complete this in the coming weeks."
Foster said the improvements will help to build better community relations between the installation and the County while providing service members and their families a better quality of life while they are stationed at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
"Arlington County also agreed to provide better light[ing] from dusk until dawn at no cost to the installation," he said.
Baxter said costs for the improvements would be covered by the county's existing budget allocation for signage and markings.
An automated Enhanced Security Pedestrian Gate or ESPG grants access to the installation to Department of Defense ID card holders through the use of a card-swiping device and biometrics system.
Just beyond Henry Gate is a Metro bus stop and across the street are numerous local businesses, including restaurants.
Pentagram staff writer Julia LeDoux can be reached at jledoux@dcmilitary.com.
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