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Once the largest railyard on the Eastern seaboard, Potomac Yard is realizing the benefit of years of community planning for redevelopment of the site and area. In the works for a quarter of a century, the new $370-million Potomac Yard Metrorail Station, opened May 2023, provides an important link for commuters within the Washington DC metropolitan area. The new station is also key to catalyzing development of the surrounding areas into a growing urban hub by providing rail access to the larger DC region.
The City of Alexandria, which has seen substantial population growth and new development in the last few decades, initiated the new Potomac Yard Metrorail Station with an initial $70 million in funding. Serving two Metrorail lines of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the station is located between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the City of Alexandria. Alexandria worked closely with WMATA to plan a new station that will improve mobility, promote economic development, and protect the environment. The new station is expected to shift 6,700 daily vehicle trips to transit, reducing road traffic along the Route 1 corridor and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
As lead designer of the station, Arup provided structural, MEP, civil, fire, and geotechnical engineering, as well as information technology and communications, sustainability, acoustics, audiovisual, code, and security consulting and lighting design. In addition, the team designed all furnishings and the bridge to provide pedestrian and bicycle access over the freight rail corridor and entry to the station pavilion. The station is targeting LEED for Transit Stations pilot Gold level certification.
Project Summary
6,700 estimated daily vehicle trips shifted to transit
26,000estimated new jobs
13,000estimated new residents
Encouraging density
As an infill station, Potomac Yard Metrorail Station is designed to catalyze urban density in the area with walkable and bikeable access to transit. In addition to providing a commuter conduit to and from the burgeoning area, the new station aims to redevelop Potomac Yard as a walkable, mixed-use community and increase access to regional transportation for residents in the surrounding area. New headquarters for the Institute for Defense Analyses, the National Industries for the Blind, and Amazon, as well as Virginia Tech’s new $1 billion Innovation Campus, are all locating in proximity to the new Metrorail station, along with new retail, residential, and commercial development. Altogether, the station is expected to generate billions of dollars in new private sector investment over the long term and eventually support 26,000 new jobs and 13,000 new residents.
Since the station is bordered on one side by wetlands and on the other by freight rail tracks that separate the station from the adjacent neighborhood, the design’s two entrances at the north and south ends include a pedestrian bridge spanning the rail tracks, providing critical access to the growing urban area. The station is already weaving into the adjacent developing urban fabric. The Arup team oriented the south entrance to be more accessible for the sight-impaired by aligning the south pavilion entrance with the existing crosswalk that abuts a new building for the National Industries for the Blind, across Potomac Avenue from the station.
To further encourage urban infill development and sustainable transit, the station provides protected storage for bikes. It also connects to the adjacent Mount Vernon Trail, a walking and cycling trail that links to a system of over 20 miles throughout Alexandria. Additionally, since Potomac Yard is only one stop from the Reagan Airport on the metrorail line, the new station provides residents with a lower-emissions alternative to driving and will likely ease highway congestion near the airport.
“The new Potomac Yard Metrorail Station, an infill station providing a critical link between the City of Alexandria’s rapidly developing neighborhoods and industry and the larger Washington DC area, exemplifies the importance of rail transit for thriving communities and sustainable development. ”
Stephen Lasser Principal, Americas East Government Buildings Leader
Sustainable design and construction
In addition to helping to activate sustainable urban density and lower carbon emissions due to road traffic, the new Potomac Yard Metrorail Station’s target for LEED for Transit Stations Gold level certification limits the project’s impact on the environment as an early adopter of the pilot program. To help guide the project on the pathway to LEED certification, Arup provided guidance for the project’s credits from factors related to site selection, water efficiency, energy, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. In addition, to track construction waste management, a less common practice for infrastructure projects in the US, Arup worked closely with the construction teams to drive a diversion rate of waste hauling from landfill to over 70%.
For LEED credits related to the site and to create a quality experience for travelers, the station design serves to visually connect to and reference the scenic preserved wetlands bordering the length of its east side. Glazing was maximized to provide views of the wetlands into the station, and stone material on the pavilion references the natural elements of the environment. In addition, the WMATA Art in Transit program features biophilic design elements of natural light and movement in the façade artwork.
The galvanizing impact of the new station is part of WMATA’s continued regional footprint and ridership expansion following the pandemic. As commuters return to public transportation and in-person interaction, the new station at Potomac Yard demonstrates the vitality of rail transit for commuters as well as its role in fostering sustainable urban growth.
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