The construction of a new Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center is included in the upcoming expansion plans of Long Bridge Park in Arlington.
Arlington’s Long Bridge Park will soon see the construction of an aquatics and fitness center, which will house a 50-meter by 25-yard competition pool, a diving tower with three diving boards, and a family pool. The facility's fitness center will feature cardiovascular and weight-training equipment. The Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center is part of the same project that will expand Long Bridge’s public spaces, parking, environmental remediation, and the park’s esplanade. [caption id="attachment_5120" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
courtesy of hughes group[/caption]
Long Bridge Park currently has three full-sized, lighted multi-sport fields, which host Marymount University’s home lacrosse and soccer games as well as other event-competitions. The park, located just north of Crystal City and adjacent to I-395, also provides visitors with views of the D.C. monuments and houses a public art feature called Wave Harbor by renowned artist Doug Hollis. A unique three-acre rain garden features native shrubs and perennials, getting its water supply from runoff from the park’s parking lot and sports fields. Also within the park are playgrounds, picnic areas, and a raised walkway (known as the esplanade), which is set to be expanded.
As the town of Arlington’s manager has recommended to the County Board that it award the design-build contract to the Coakley and Williams Construction Company, Long Bridge is set to become a premier Northern Virginia and D.C. area park. Construction on the 30-acre park could begin as early as next summer, but how soon construction will begin depends on when Coakley’s finalized design and documents are submitted. The project will be completed via a design-build approach which utilizes a "design to budget" process, establishing a budget that a contractor must stay within from the initial designs through all construction phases. If construction does begin next summer, the Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center could open sometime in 2021.
