Fairfax County’s new $58.38 million commuter parking garage in Springfield is now complete and will open to commuters starting next week.
A ribbon-cutting for the six-level facility at 7039 Old Keene Mill Road is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 5, at 11 a.m., with the garage officially opening to the public on Saturday, Sept. 14, per a Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) release.
According to FCDOT’s website, the new facility, which broke ground in fall 2021, will boast around 1,100 parking spots, a transit center with seven bus bays, dedicated spaces for commuter slugging, and a pick-up and drop-off zone. It will also offer secure bicycle storage with 66 spots in a locked bike room and 40 additional bike racks.
According to FCDOT spokesperson Tonya McCreary, daily commuter parking is free, but long-term parking is not available.
The garage’s top deck will include a “green roof” plaza intended for community events and activities, including arts and entertainment performances, exercise classes, corporate events and other outdoor gatherings, FCDOT says.
The county advises pedestrians and cyclists to use a pedestrian bridge over Old Keene Mill Road, which links the garage directly to Springfield Plaza, for safe passage.
With its seven bus bays, the new facility will enhance the connection between local bus routes in Franconia and southern Fairfax County and the larger I-95/395 and I-495 corridors, improving commutes to places like the Pentagon and Tysons.
In January, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved realignments of five Fairfax Connector routes to serve the garage, including routes 310, 321, 322, 393 and 396. Changes were also made to support the new Monument Drive Park-and-Ride Garage that opened in June.
Fairfax Connector announced yesterday (Tuesday) that another revised route 494, from Springfield to Tysons, will also launch when the garage opens on Sept. 14.
The Springfield garage is also designed to support ridesharing and “sluglines,” a common practice prior to the pandemic when the site was a surface parking lot.
While the garage was under construction, local commuters gathered at spots like Springfield United Methodist Church and the Frontier Garage at Springfield Town Center to catch rides into D.C. using the Capital Beltway’s toll lanes, which are free for vehicles with three or more occupants.
“Bringing back ridesharing to this location will lower air pollution and congestion along the I-95/395 corridor,” Fairfax County staff said.
The project was initially budgeted at $63.81 million, with funding from the Federal Transit Agency and county commercial and industrial tax revenues. However, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services says final costs will be determined after construction is complete, the warranty period ends, and the construction contract is officially closed out.
