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Walk to Reagan National? Thank Amazon.

The area's largest landowner, developer JGB Smith, is touting easy access to three Metro stations, Northern Virginia highways, and Reagan National Airport as well as "important infrastructure projects" to better connect the area.
Credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images
A close-up of a packaged Amazon Prime item in the Amazon Fulfilment centre on November 15, 2017 in Peterborough, England.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- With the announcement that 25,000 new "Amazonians" will work in the newly-coined Arlington neighborhood of National Landing, Amazon is breathing new life into nearby transit projects. The Commonwealth of Virginia will invest $195 million in nearby infrastructure, Amazon said in its major announcement Tuesday.

The area's largest landowner, developer JGB Smith, is touting easy access to three Metro stations, Northern Virginia highways, and Reagan National Airport as well as "important infrastructure projects" to better connect the area.

RELATED: Amazon HQ2: Virginia to pay steep price for Amazon commitment

Here are the top three changes coming our way:

  • Metro has already benefited from HQ2 hype and now it will even more. JGB Smith says expect to see new entrances at Crystal City Metro as well as at the to-be-built Potomac Yard Metro. Contracts to build Potomac Yard-- a new station on an existing portion of the blue and yellow lines-- were awarded in September. The station is expected to open in late 2021 or early 2022. Earlier this year, Virginia, Maryland, and The District-- which were all in the running for HQ2-- dedicated $500 million in funding to Metro in hopes of enticing the Amazon to our area.
  • You should be able to walk to Reagan National Airport. A pedestrian bridge connecting Crystal Drive in Crystal City to the airport and Mount Vernon Trail is being touted by Amazon. Known as "CC2DCA," a study to see if the idea was even feasible was finished in February. Amazon said the project-- which could take ten years to complete-- aims to make "the pedestrian experience crossing Route 1" safer.
  • Expect to see more dedicated bus lanes. State officials say it could expand a "transitway" between Pentagon City, Crystal City, and Potomac Yard. Arlington's $21.3 million section opened in 2016.

Virginia officials say if Amazon brings more than 25,000 jobs to the area, there could be even more investment in infrastructure.

Metro spokesperson Sherri Ly released the following statement:

Amazon’s decision is a reminder of the important role that Metro plays in the economic vitality of the region and further supports the need for investment, the need to improve service and the need to expand service where we can. This includes a package of proposed service improvements that will benefit riders systemwide, such as increased service on the Yellow and Red lines and added capacity by expanding all trains to the maximum 8-car length. Most of all, Amazon’s investment is a win-win for Metro and the entire region.

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