Future multi-modal bicyclist and pedestrian improvements along Haycock Road near the Fairfax-Falls Church border may be dependent on obtaining regional grant funding.
At its meeting next Monday (July 14), the Falls Church City Council is expected to formally request up to $15 million from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) in support of the upgrades, which is jointly sought with Fairfax County officials.
The city needs to submit a grant application for the project by Aug. 1 in order for it to be eligible for the next round of funding for fiscal years 2030-2031. If the funds are approved by the NVTA, the project potentially could begin design work by fiscal year 2027, which will start on July 1, 2026.
The proposal calls for a 10-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian path on the east side of Haycock running from Route 7 (W. Broad Street) to Falls Church Drive near the West Falls Church Metro station. It would provide access from Route 7 to the Metro station and to the Meridian High School and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School campus.
Work would be coordinated with the Virginia Department of Transportation. No travel lanes would need to be removed to accommodate the separated pathway.
Fairfax County provided initial concept designs for the improvements, but it has no funding available to move forward with the project. Falls Church officials estimate $400,000 is needed to complete the design phase.
Fairfax officials have indicated to their Falls Church counterparts that, if funding is made available, the county could continue management of the project. City officials are amenable to that idea.
“We would envision we would keep the partnership with Fairfax,” city manager Wyatt Shields said at a work session yesterday (Monday).
The proposal is one of a number of new transportation elements planned for the area around the West Falls Church Metro station, some conducted as part of redevelopment efforts.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation will also add a shared-use path and other improvements on Shreve Road near the Route 7 intersection in conjunction with the Haycock Road project, though the current timelines suggest the Shreve Road project will likely be implemented first. Design work on that segment is already underway, supported by $6.9 million in previously approved NVTA funding.
In a separate application, Falls Church officials are also planning to request up to $20 million from the NVTA for intersection improvements at Annandale Road, which connects the city with Fairfax County’s West Falls Church area near Route 29.
More on the planned project from Falls Church City:
The Annandale Road Multimodal Improvements Project is located between and adjacent to the intersections of Annandale Rd and Hillwood Ave, and South Washington St and Annandale Rd. The project includes sidewalk widening, bicycle improvements, updated intersection geometry, crosswalks, ADA ramps and signal improvements. Utility undergrounding and relocation are also included in the project.
Shortening crossing distances and providing pedestrian signal heads reduces potential conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. Tightening intersection geometry and narrowing travel lanes slows vehicular traffic. ADA ramp improvements enhance accessibility. Signal improvements provide important infrastructure reinvestment. All these improvements will help to increase safety at and adjacent to two of the City’s least comfortable intersections.
Because the Haycock Road project would benefit students, city officials plan to prioritize that funding request over the one for Annandale Road.
“That makes sense to me,” Councilmember Laura Downs said at the work session.
Prioritizing the Haycock Road effort does not mean city officials will downplay the need for upgrades on Annandale Road, Shields said.
“We’re going to fight for both of them,” he said.
