Pedestrians in Tysons still have to contend with heavy traffic on routes 123 and 7, but a few changes recently implemented by the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) will hopefully make parts of the urban center easier to navigate.
Last week, the community improvement organization announced that it has completed a redesign of the Westwood Center Drive and Cornerside Blvd intersection near the Tysons West shopping center, adding a crosswalk, sidewalk, painted road median and other improvements.
“The completed project provides pedestrians with a formal crossing and makes several complementary improvements designed to make the intersection safer and easier to navigate,” the TCA said in a press release.
According to the release, the intersection was among the TCA’s highest priorities for pedestrian safety improvements.
Despite its lack of a designated crosswalk, nearly 200 people cross Westwood Center Drive every day. Though state data doesn’t show any fatalities, there were two crashes involving pedestrians that resulted in four injuries last year, including a woman who was hospitalized after she was struck by a driver while crossing the five-lane road on May 13.
Established in 2022 to implement Fairfax County’s vision of Tysons as a walkable, mixed-use downtown, the TCA developed a plan to make the intersection safer in partnership with the county, the Virginia Department of Transportation, the engineering firm VIKA and Atlantic Realty Companies, which owns the office buildings at 8603 and 8605 Westwood Center Drive.
The project was funded by tax revenue from the Tysons Transportation Service District, which was created by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2013 to raise money for major road projects.
The advisory board that oversees the service district recommended in spring 2025 that $1 million in revenue be allocated to the TCA for smaller-scale projects, a move approved by the Board of Supervisors as part of the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget. The Westwood Center Drive crosswalk was among the projects on the TCA’s list, according to minutes from the advisory board’s October 2025 meeting.
Though the crosswalk was the primary focus of the project, the finished improvements include more than some white stripes on pavement. According to the TCA:
The project includes a new mid block crosswalk on the southwest side of the intersection, along with roadway restriping between Tysons Sheraton Drive and Cornerside Boulevard. The new configuration improves the alignment of travel lanes, removes an underutilized left-turn lane, and creates space for a painted pedestrian refuge island in the median, providing a safer midpoint for people who may need additional time to cross.
TCA also added a new sidewalk and ADA-compliant ramps on the south side of the crossing. Previously, pedestrians relied on a worn dirt path to make the connection, creating challenges particularly for people using wheelchairs, strollers, and other mobility devices. The new sidewalk establishes a permanent and accessible connection that meets modern accessibility standards.
TCA Vice President of Place and Transportation Jason Zogg described the Westwood Center and Cornerside improvements as an example of “how targeted transportation improvements can make an immediate difference in people’s everyday experience of Tysons.
“Hundreds of people were already crossing here every day, despite not having a safe, designated place to do so,” he said in the press release. “Rather than waiting for larger, long-term infrastructure changes, we saw an opportunity to work with our public and private partners to address a clear safety need now. This is exactly the kind of practical, people-focused investment that helps us build a more connected and walkable Tysons.”
Installation of Metro signs completed
Another project supported by the TCA’s funds from the service district was the installation of new wayfinding signs outside the Tysons, McLean, Greensboro and Spring Hill Metro stations.
Endorsed by the Board of Supervisors in March, the eight kiosks were recently installed and formally unveiled with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the McLean Metro station yesterday (Thursday) morning.
Outfitted with a solar power system that illuminates them after dark, the signs feature some directional information and maps showing more than 32 destinations around Tysons, including notable businesses, developments and public amenities, such as trails and parks.
“Investments like these help connect people to Metro, businesses, public spaces, and one another, while making Tysons more welcoming and accessible for everyone who lives, works, and visits here,” said Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, who represents most of Tysons on the county board. “This is another important step toward the connected, people-centered Tysons we’re working together to create.”
In a statement, TCA Board of Directors Chair David Schneider highlighted the critical role played by the Tysons Transportation Service District, which is funded by a special annual tax assessed on Tysons property owners.
“This project also shows what’s possible when public and private partners work together to invest in the long-term success of Tysons,” Schneider said.
As of February, the TCA had spent $699,041 of the $1 million it had been awarded from the tax district, per a presentation delivered to the advisory board at its Feb. 24 meeting.
For fiscal year 2027, which began on July 1, the TCA proposed using its remaining funds to:
- Develop wayfinding signage for the Tysons Community Circuit, a recreational trail that will ultimately loop around Tysons
- Advance a segment of the community circuit by filling in missing sidewalks and crosswalks, including on Boone Blvd and Kidwell Drive
- Study potential interim improvements for the Colshire Road and Chain Bridge Road intersection
- Accelerate design work for a missing sidewalk on Westpark Drive from International Drive to where an existing sidewalk abruptly ends west of the Inspo Apartments
- Study alternative concepts for the Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) and Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) interchange
Separately, road projects funded by the Tysons service district so far have included the Jones Branch Connector, an I-495 overpass at Tysons Corner Center, multiple widenings of Route 7, and studies of planned ramps for the Dulles Toll Road.
The district’s advisory board will next meet sometime this fall, though an exact date hasn’t been announced yet.
