By Brian Trompeter
The Fairfax County government wants to build a new walkway along Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) just west of the town of Vienna, but may have to use a quick-take eminent-domain process if negotiations can’t be concluded successfully with two property owners along the route.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 26 set a public hearing for Oct. 24 at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the acquisition of land rights to keep the project on schedule.
The county seeks to build a 5-foot-wide concrete sidewalk along 1,760 linear feet of the south side of Chain Bridge Road between Courthouse and Sutton roads. The project also would include 193 square yards of curb ramps and a pair of bus pads, update three driveways and add pedestrian-signal heads and crosswalks.
The project requires land rights on seven properties, five of which have been secured by the county’s Land Acquisition Division. Among the rights sought are grading agreements, temporary construction easements and temporary construction-access easements.
County officials still are trying to make progress with the remaining two property owners, but because resolutions are not imminent in those cases, the county government may need to employ the quick-take eminent-domain authority, which is granted under state code, to get the project started on time.
The sidewalk project safely would connect more housing units, especially in mixed-use areas, to multiple modes of transportation, county staff wrote in a summary for supervisors. The initiative also would improve the quality of life in surrounding neighborhoods and promote economic growth, congestion mitigation and health, they wrote.
