Pedestrians can breathe a little easier after some new protections were installed at a key South County intersection earlier this month.
Work wrapped up on Aug. 4 on a pedestrian refuge island, additional crosswalks and curb ramp upgrades around Silverbrook Road and Crosspointe Drive, according to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.
“Improvements provide increased safety for families and pedestrians traversing the intersection, with improved connectivity to Silverbrook Elementary School just in time for the new school year,” FCDOT Engineer Galappa Madhusudhan when announcing the project’s completion. “The Crosspointe Swim and Racquet Club and nearby recreational paths are also more accessible.”
Nearby residents have been pushing for more safety measures at the intersection for years, particularly in the wake of a December 2011 crash that killed a pedestrian. Michael Henley, a 22-year-old Fairfax Station resident, was crossing Silverbrook Road when he was struck first by an SUV driver and then by a minivan, police said at the time.
Streetlights were subsequently installed at the intersection, and signs warning drivers of an increased $200 fine for speeding were added in 2023, says Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, who represents the area.
However, more substantial improvements were slow to get off the ground.
Residents launched a petition in 2020 calling for a pedestrian crosswalk signal to be installed, presenting it as a cheaper solution that would have less traffic impacts than a full traffic signal. The proposal was unanimously endorsed by the Crosspointe Homeowners Association.
FCDOT staff began working on a design for a rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB), but in mid-2024, the Virginia Department of Transportation determined that the intersection didn’t meet its requirements for the pedestrian-activated device, which flashes yellow lights telling drivers to stop.
According to Herrity:
When my office pressed VDOT to reconsider allowing the RRFB, we were told, “when various combinations of speed, volume, and lanes are too low, as was the case here, other simpler countermeasures can provide much better safety benefits than RRFBs. The introduction of RRFBs could then present more of a safety hazard than a safety benefit.”
The county pivoted instead to the pedestrian improvements project, utilizing $500,000 from an allocation of $5 million that the Board of Supervisors approved in March 2022 for small-scale pedestrian and bicycle upgrades, including crosswalks and maintenance.
Construction began in April on the pedestrian refuge, which is located in the middle of four lanes of traffic — one eastbound and one westbound through lane and two turn lanes — on Silverbrook Road. The refuge came with new crosswalks and curb ramps redesigned to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
The improvements have been positively received so far by the Crosspointe community, Herrity says, acknowledging that some are frustrated they weren’t implemented sooner.
“This project was initiated in response to concerns related to the safety of residents, especially children, crossing at this intersection, including to the community pool in the summer,” he told FFXnow. “The project has been a long time coming and I am happy we are finally able to provide a safer crossing for the resident[s] at this location.”
The Silverbrook and Crosspointe project is among dozens of upgrades sought by county supervisors since they committed in fall 2021 to investing $100 million in active transportation infrastructure. The projects can include filling in trail and sidewalk gaps, new crosswalks, bicycle lanes, and other spot changes to make travel safer and more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.
As of spring 2026, the county had allocated $56.7 million to specific projects over three rounds of funding, with public feedback on a fourth round to prioritize $25.4 million that the board had approved last fall concluding at the end of March.
The most recent round of funding was approved shortly after the Board of Supervisors urged FCDOT in September to speed up the improvements. Noting that the number of projects has slowed their ability to evaluate each one, staff suggested a three-year planning cycle in April that they hoped would streamline the prioritization and implementation process.
Other projects in the Springfield District that Herrity hopes to advance “sooner [rather] than later” include:
- A stoplight at Rolling Road and Grigsby Drive to give West Springfield High School students a safer crossing
- A walkway on Old Keene Mill Road from Bauer Drive/Greely Blvd to Hillside Road, and from Field Master rive to Huntsman Blvd
- Pedestrian improvements at Monument Drive and Fair Ridge Drive
- Crosswalks and walkways for Waples Mill Road near the Waples Mill Elementary School
- A crosswalk and other pedestrian improvements on Hillside Road at Hall Street/Timber Hollow Lane
- Filling in a missing walkway on Gambrill Road from Gambrill Woods Way to Kings Ridge Court
