Crystal City 5K Impacts Traffic Friday

Editor's note: This article was initially published on March 19.

Give your weekend a running start with 5K Fridays returning to Crystal City starting today.

The runs are at 6:30 p.m. every Friday in April. The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) and Pacers Running Stores are sponsoring the runs.

Registration is still open for the race through the BID at $20 per race or $60 for the series.

The races will also result in street closures in and around the area from 6:15 to 7:45 p.m., according to an advisory from the Crystal City BID:

• Northbound lanes of Crystal Drive between 23rd Street and 15th Street
• Northbound lanes of Crystal Drive between 26th Street and Route 1
• Northbound lanes of Potomac Avenue between Crystal Drive and the border with Alexandria at Four Mile Run
• Westbound lane of 33rd Street between Potomac Avenue and Crystal Drive
• Access to and from the southbound lanes of Potomac Avenue between Crystal Drive and 33rd Street will be restricted by Arlington County police posts permitting crossing of the race route only when deemed safe
• Roads and properties north of 15th Street previously affected by this race will not be this time.
• The southbound lanes of Crystal Drive will remain open.

VRE Riders of Fredericksburg Line Train No. 313 (departs Crystal City at 6:53 p.m.) and the Manassas Line Train No. 337 (departs Crystal City at 7:01 p.m.)

• Please add 5 to 10 minutes of on-foot travel time to get to the station. Walk up the west side of Crystal Drive and cross at the crosswalk located directly across the street from the station. You may have to wait a few minutes for a gap of sufficient size to safely cross.

Affected Garage Facilities

• Water Park Towers (Residents of 1501 and 1505 Crystal Drive): Access to garage facilities will not be affected during the race. Regional road closures, however, may affect how you get to/from this facility.
• Crystal Place Apartments and Crystal Park Condominiums (1801 and 1805 Crystal Drive): Access restrictions will be in place for garage and driveway entrances/exits to this facility for the duration of the race. Please note that the rear alley access route will not be accessible. Onsite Arlington County Police Department officers may allow garage access from the entrance across from 18th Street only when deemed safe.
• Gateway Condominiums & Waterford House (1200 and 1300 Crystal Drive and 200 12th St.): Access to garage facilities will not be affected during the race. Regional road closures, however, may affect how you get to/from this facility.
• Jefferson Plaza 1 and 2 (1411 and 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway): Access to garage facilities will not be affected during the race. Regional road closures, however, may affect how you get to/from this facility.
• Crowne Plaza Hotel: Access to garage facilities will not be affected during the race. Regional road closures, however, may affect how you get to/from this facility.
• Crystal Park 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (2011, 2121, 2231, 2345, and 2451 Crystal Drive): Employees, tenants and visitors parking in the garage facilities of the Crystal Park buildings will be affected by this road closure. Please note that the garage entrance and exit along the rear access alley behind Park 5 will be closed for the duration of the event. Access restrictions will be in place for the garage entrance/exit at 2011 Crystal Drive for the duration of the race, however, an on-site Arlington County Police Department officer may allow access across the road closure when deemed safe. Note that the garage entrance/exit at 2345 Crystal Drive will not be affected. All vehicles should be directed to exit at the 2345 Crystal Drive entrance/exit or plan to leave before or after the closure period. Parking in the surface lot surrounding the courtyard in front of 2121 Crystal Drive will also be restricted and inaccessible during this time.
• One & Two Potomac Yard (2777 Crystal Drive): Employees, tenants and visitors parking in the garage facilities of One & Two Potomac Yard will be affected by this road closure. Please note that garage entrances and exits along Crystal Drive and Potomac Avenue will be closed for the duration of the event. Onsite Arlington County Police Department officers may allow garage access from the entrance/exit along Potomac Avenue only when deemed safe. Please direct vehicles to enter/exit from this garage access point or to leave/arrive before or after the planned road closures. A second police access point will be located at 33rd and Potomac Avenue and will permit the crossing of the course only when deemed safe.
• Concord Luxury Residences (2600 Crystal Drive): The garage entrance along Crystal Drive for the Concord Luxury Residences will not be accessible for the duration of the race. If you need your vehicle during this time period, please plan to exit/enter the garage from the Clark Street exit/entrance. Daily parkers will not be able to access the Clark Street exit/entrance and should plan to exit/enter the facility prior to or after the planned road closures.
• Gateway 3 & 4 - North (201 12th St.): Access to garage facilities will not be affected during the race. Please plan accordingly and provide notification to your staff and tenants. Regional road closures, however, may affect how you get to/from this facility.
• Plaza Buildings (2100 & 2200 Crystal Drive and 2001 Jefferson Davis Highway and 2221 S. Clark St. and 220 20th St.): Access to garages and driveway entrances for these facilities will be maintained. The southbound lanes of Crystal Drive will remain open throughout the course of the event.
• Crystal Mall Buildings (1801, 1851, and 1901 S. Bell St.): Access to garages and driveway entrances for these facilities will be maintained.  The southbound lanes of Crystal Drive will remain open throughout the course of the event.
• Crystal Square Buildings (1550 and 1750 Crystal Drive; 251 & 241 18th St.; and 1515 Jefferson Davis Highway): Access to garages and driveway entrances for these facilities will be maintained. The southbound lanes of Crystal Drive will remain open throughout the course of the event.
• Century Buildings (2450 Crystal Drive and 2461 S. Clark St.): Access to garage facilities will not be affected during the race. Typical approaches to and from the building’s parking garages, however, will be affected due to closures of Crystal Drive south of 26th Street. Vehicles entering the facility will need to approach via South Clark Street, 26th Street, and then head north on Crystal Drive. Vehicles leaving the facility will be able to exit normally onto Crystal Drive. Please plan accordingly and provide notification to your residents, staff and guests.
• Taylor Building (2530 Crystal Drive): Access to garage facilities will not be affected during the race. Typical approaches to and from the building’s parking garages, however, will be affected due to closures of Crystal Drive south of 26th Street. Vehicles entering the facility will need to approach via South Clark Street, 26th Street, and then head north on Crystal Drive. Vehicles leaving the facility will be able to exit normally onto Crystal Drive. Please plan accordingly and provide notification to your residents, staff and guests.
• Marriott Capital View Hotels - Renaissance and Residences Inn (2800 S. Potomac Ave. and 2850 S. Potomac Ave.): Access restrictions will be in place for garage entrances/exits to this facility for the duration of the race. Vehicles seeking to park should approach from South Clark Street. They will encounter an Arlington County Police Department post stationed at 27th and South Clark Street. Officers will permit vehicles to cross the route only when deemed safe. During the approximately 15-minute peak period of the race, vehicles will be directed to head west on 27th Street and back up Route 1 to try again. For vehicles leaving the building, southbound lanes of Potomac Avenue between Crystal Drive and 33rd Street will remain open, however, a police post at 33rd and Potomac Avenue will only permit the crossing of the race route when deemed safe.
• Camden Apartments (3535 S. Ball St.): Access to garages and driveway entrances for these facilities will be maintained. The western-most southbound lane of Potomac Avenue will remain open throughout the course of the event.
• The Eclipse on Center Park Condominiums (3600 S. Glebe Road): Access to garages and driveway entrances for this facility will be maintained. The southbound lane of Potomac Avenue will remain open throughout the course of the event.