Fairfax County is likely to receive most, but not all, of the funding it is seeking through a regional transit grant program.
The county’s request for just under $4.4 million in funding to support a new limited-stop Fairfax Connector service between the Tysons and Franconia-Springfield Metro stations has been removed from the list of projects being considered for the fiscal years 2027-2028 I-66 Commuter Choice funding cycle.
Daniel Knickelbein, who manages Commuter Choice programs for the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC), told the organization’s board last Thursday (March 5) that the planned bus service “was not eligible for funding as it did not demonstrate a sufficient nexus to the I-66 corridor.”
Being removed from contention for grant funding doesn’t mean the proposed new Route 400X service can’t move forward, but Fairfax County officials would need to find alternate funding sources.
The funding would’ve enabled the bus route to run every 20 minutes during morning and evening rush hours, connecting the two Metro stations through the Backlick Road and Gallows Road corridors.
Riders already have access to Fairfax Connector Routes 401-402, which travel the same route but do not offer express service.
While it lost out on 400X funding, Fairfax County will see new bus service if requests from the Metropolitan Washington Area Transit Authority are approved:
- $11,255,525 for a new Metrobus Route F2X providing limited-stop service between Spring Hill Metro station and West Alexandria
- $3,112,587 for a new Route A6X offering limited-stop service between Dunn Loring and the Pentagon
Four requests from the county to continue enhanced Fairfax Connector service are also among 14 projects being supported for funding:
- Route 598: from Reston to the Pentagon ($2,514,209)
- Route 697: from the Stringfellow Road Park and Ride to L’Enfant Plaza ($4,072,453)
- Route 698: from the Stringfellow Road Park and Ride to the Pentagon ($1,684,916)
- Route 699: from the Monument Drive Park and Ride to downtown Washington ($4,588,744)
An estimated $100 million in funding was available for the FY 2027-28 grant cycle, but local governments and transit agencies sought only $69.8 million.
With the 400X request and one from Virginia Railway Express eliminated from consideration, only $60.5 million in requests remained, leaving $39.5 million untapped.
NVTC is expected to approve all 14 eligible projects for funding in June.
The excess funding will be carried over to the FY 2028-2029 grant cycle. But at the March 5 meeting, one NVTC board member urged his counterparts not to leave possible funding on the table going forward.
“This is significant money, and it can do a lot of good,” said Takis Karantonis, one of three Arlington representatives on the NVTC board.
Funding comes from revenue generated by the toll lanes on I-66 inside the Capital Beltway. With the end of pandemic times and a return to working out of offices most of the week, Karantonis said that “I-66 is very prolific in bringing funds to the table.”
