Fairfax County planners have settled on a final proposal for Wiehle Avenue’s future design.
After presenting three options for community feedback this spring, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation is leaning toward a concept that reduces the Reston road to two travel lanes in each direction, while providing space for a two-way cycle track along the west side. The area would maintain its current speed limit of 35 mph.
A final community meeting to present the updated plan will be held at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 at Langston Hughes Middle School (11401 Ridge Heights Road).
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed FCDOT to conduct a Wiehle Avenue study last year after rejecting developer TF Cornerstone’s proposed crossings at the eastbound Dulles Toll Road ramps as part of its planned Campus Commons project.
The study takes a more holistic look at the roadway from Sunrise Valley Drive to the Washington and Old Dominion Trail, aiming to make it less auto-centric and more accommodating for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Following a brainstorming workshop last November, FCDOT unveiled three alternatives for the future Wiehle Avenue at a community meeting in May. In addition to reviewing the proposed designs, attendees weighed in on their preferences for landscaping, bicycle facilities and “placemaking” elements to make the corridor more attractive.
The first alternative favored a more conservative approach, removing some turn lanes and reducing the posted speed limit to 30 mph. The other alternatives would both maintain the current speed limit and narrow the road to two travel lanes in each direction.
One featured a two-way cycle track on the west side, a 10-foot-wide sidewalk on the east side and a 12-foot-wide median from the toll road to Sunset Hills Road. The other had one-way, protected bike lanes on both sides of the road and roundabouts at the Sunset Hills and Sunrise Valley intersections.
According to FCDOT spokesperson Freddy Serrano, the concept that will be presented at the Oct. 28 community meeting takes elements from the second and third alternatives. It has a cycle track on the west side of Wiehle and a roundabout at Sunrise Valley Drive, but the Sunset Hills roundabout was removed due to traffic concerns.
“The third public meeting will share information on the revised concept, including updated analysis, planning-level cost estimates and implementation schedule, considerations for the bridge over the Dulles Toll Road, and a 3-D rendering of the corridor,” he told FFXnow. “FCDOT will also note the trade-offs with the design, particularly at the roundabout intersection, and offer a second option.”
