ARLINGTON, Va. — "It’s the worst of both worlds."
Jane Green is all too familiar with the congestion of Crystal City. She often walks to the nearby Mount Vernon trail, pushing her young son in a stroller. She calls where Route 1 passes over sidewalks and streets below "a respite."
"We want to be able to walk around our region," Green said.
That’s why Green is worried about a study by the Virginia Department of Transportation, looking into lowering Route 1 overpasses to the ground level. The hope is to make a more urban environment as part of Amazon’s HQ2.
"If you’re going to create an urban environment, you can’t have a highway going through it," Green said.
Green points to where Route 1 is not an overpass like at 23rd Street. She says pedestrians must scurry across seven lanes of traffic. While details are few, she fears this will be the result.
"We need to be able to move through our community without fearing we’re going to get run over by cars," Green said.
Green is hoping VDOT and local leaders are brought down to earth before they lower overpasses.
"There is definitely room for improvement," Green said. "We just need to see that that is the priority."