County supervisors on Tuesday (Sept. 29) approved designs for windscreen artwork to be placed at the nine stations along “The One,” Fairfax’s future Richmond Highway bus rapid transit corridor.
Each of the designs reflects a theme related to the area surrounding a station. Submissions were sought from artists as part of the project’s “Community Charm” initiative.
“It may look simple, but it was not simple,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said of the lengthy effort to determine themes for each station and select appropriate artwork.
“The final project has really turned out great,” McKay said in advance of the 10-0 vote.
The project’s Station Design Advisory Group winnowed submissions to 27 finalists, three for each station. The public weighed in through an online survey, with the final selections made by the Richmond Highway BRT executive committee.
Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck agreed with McKay that the process was lengthy but rewarding.
“It was a multi-year effort [with] many, many community conversations,” he said.
The One is slated to run 7.4 miles from the Huntington Metro station to Fort Belvoir, with travel largely along dedicated bus lanes but with some mixed traffic areas on its northern end.
The current projected cost is just under $1 billion, with funding coming from a mix of regional, state and federal funding. The budget includes the development of dedicated bus lanes and stations plus pedestrian and bicycle facilities and various road safety enhancements.
The project is mostly, but not entirely, funded.
When completed, the bus route is expected to carry an estimated 18,000 riders per day.
Also at the Sept. 29 meeting, supervisors approved several agreements between the county and Virginia Department of Transportation related to the project. They represent procedural steps forward in the ongoing effort.
“This is a huge transit win for this corridor,” McKay said of keeping the project on track.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity abstained on those votes, citing his ongoing opposition to the project’s design parameters. All other supervisors voted in support of the agreements with VDOT.
In a separate action, the Board of Supervisors voted to authorize an Oct. 27 public hearing to address acquisition of utility and construction easements for portions of the project.
County officials are working through a list of 41 parcels to be acquired in this phase of work. About half the parcels have been acquired or appear on track to be acquired with condemnation proceedings and litigation, county staff told supervisors.
The number of acquisitions required is not unusual for the size of the project, several supervisors acknowledged.
“This isn’t simple, it’s not easy,” Storck said.
