By Brian Trompeter
Fairfax County supervisors have unanimously endorsed a plan amendment recommending nine station locations and dedicated travel lanes for the future Route 7 bus-rapid-transit system between Tysons and Falls Church.
The plan amendment provides a “more current and context-sensitive transportation vision for the future of this portion of Route 7 and Tysons,” Supervisor Dalia Palchik (D-Providence) said at the board’s July 25 meeting. “The inclusion of BRT on Route 7 into the comprehensive plan strengthens the county’s position as it continues to refine the design and pursue funding options.”
Supervisors in July 2021 endorsed long-term recommendations from the county’s Route 7 BRT study. These included the preferred alternative’s route alignment between the Spring Hill and West Falls Church Metro stations, which will pass through portions of Providence, Hunter Mill and Dranesville districts.
The planned BRT system’s northern end would be at Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons.
BRT vehicles will travel between that station and Lincoln Station, located on International Drive, using mixed business-access-and-transit (BAT) lanes on Spring Hill Road and Tyco roads. The vehicles would arrive at the Metro station via Spring Hill Road and use Tyco Road to head back to Lincoln Station on the way south.
From there, the route heads south on International Drive, with stops at Greensboro-International Station near Tysons Galleria and Fletcher Street Station near Tysons Corner Center.
The BRT route then turns left onto Route 7 and stops at Fashion Boulevard Station before crossing Interstate 495. The plan incorporates Palchik’s request to have a George Marshall Station on Route 7 near George C. Marshall High School and planned townhouse and apartment developments in the vicinity.
From there, the route would go to Patterson Road Station, use a flyover access the West Falls Church Metrorail station, then head for Chestnut Street Station in Falls Church using mixed traffic lanes.
To ensure there’s sufficient room for two dedicated BRT lanes between Interstate 66 and the system’s northern terminus in Tysons, the new plan amendment calls for expanding Route 7 from four to six lanes between Haycock Road and Interstate 495; widening Route 7 from six to eight lanes between I-495 and International Drive; and repurposing two of the existing six lanes on International Drive between Route 7 and Lincoln Circle for BRT only.
The plan amendment also:
• Defines the BRT system’s path along Route 7 between the West Falls Church and Spring Hill Metrorail stations.
• Determines potential station locations along that segment of the route.
• Sets an interim alignment to the West Falls Church Metrorail station.
• Plans turn and transit lanes along Tyco and Spring Hill roads in Tysons.
The plan amendment now will be adopted in the county’s comprehensive plan and be eligible for prioritization and funding under the Board of Supervisors’ Transportation Priorities Plan, as well as grants and funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.
As more of the system becomes operational, it will extend farther south along Route 7 through Falls Church and Seven Corners and terminate near the Mark Center area in west Alexandria, county staff said.
Supervisor Patrick Herrity (R-Springfield) queried about projected traffic-congestion impacts because of lanes lost to BRT. County staff responded that the preferred alternative had minimal impacts compared to other options considered and would have only minor traffic effects on the Route 7 corridor compared with not building the project at all.
Herrity was disappointed that the BRT system as currently designed will not have the capacity to run express buses, which would bypass some stations to complete the route more quickly.
“The No. 1 reason people take transit [is] if it gets them there quicker,” Herrity said. “If you have to hit every stop, it’s going to take longer than it would if you rode a bike, [or] if you got in a car and drove.”
He added, “Unless you can figure a way to run expresses and encourage people to take long-haul transit, people won’t do it unless they have to do it.”
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay (D) had a different take.
“This is getting buses into dedicated lanes instead of comingling with traffic that exists today, which is already express,” he said, adding, “The whole design here is in fact time-saving. That’s why we’re doing this.”
The buses will board at ground level at the route’s stations and riders will pay as soon as they get on, which will expedite travel, county staff said.
Extensive work on the BRT plans in the past couple of years has resulted in better options compared with what originally was proposed, Palchik said. The planned BRT system now will attract more riders, get passengers farther into Tysons and not compete with existing Metrorail lines, she said.
