Angela Woolsey | FFXnow

Proposed townhouses on Spring Hill Road don’t fit neighborhood, McLean residents say

Published March 15, 2023 at 9:30AM

A developer is asking Fairfax County to allow townhouses on Spring Hill Road near McLean for (via Fairfax County)

Spring Hill Road in McLean has no townhouses now, and at least some area residents are unconvinced that there should be any in the future.

During a workshop on Thursday (March 9), the Fairfax County Planning Commission preliminarily advanced a request for more density at the northwest corner of Spring Hill Road and the Dulles Airport Access Road, but said the concept plan must be revised before it’s fully considered.

Countywide

VDOT: Toll lanes operator’s exit from Maryland project won’t affect I-495 widening in Virginia

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 14, 2023 at 3:30PM | Updated March 16, 2023 at 2:49PM

On the Capital Beltway at the American Legion Bridge into Maryland (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 2:50 p.m. on 3/16/2023) Virginia’s extension of the I-495 Express Lanes past the George Washington Memorial Parkway in McLean remains on track for a 2025 opening, even as its counterpart across the Potomac River faces another setback in its efforts to widen the Capital Beltway.

Private toll lanes operator Transurban pulled out of Maryland’s project to add toll lanes on its side of the Beltway and replace the American Legion Bridge on Friday (March 10), citing “significant delays to environmental approvals, changing political landscape and environmental lawsuits that remain unresolved.”

Countywide

High winds cause power outages in Fairfax County, fire on Georgetown Pike

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 14, 2023 at 2:20PM | Updated March 14, 2023 at 2:47PM

High winds are causing power outages in Fairfax County, including in Great Falls and Oakton (via Dominion Energy)

(Updated at 2:35 p.m.) Hundreds of people in Fairfax County have lost electricity today (Tuesday) as winds buffet the D.C. region, taking out power lines and contributing to at least one fire.

Georgetown Pike is currently closed in both directions at Miller Avenue in Great Falls due to a tree that fell on power lines and “a resulting fire,” the Virginia Department of Transportation said shortly after 1 p.m.

News

West Falls Church, Franconia Metro facility changes advance despite ‘big number’ opposing latter

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 14, 2023 at 11:45AM

A car at the Franconia-Springfield Metro station pick-up line (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Proposed transportation changes at the West Falls Church and Franconia-Springfield Metro stations will advance to the agency’s full board, even as some raised eyebrows at the amount of public opposition to its Franconia plan.

To accommodate an upcoming extension of Frontier Drive, Metro intends to reconfigure traffic patterns at the Franconia station by adding three new bus bays and a bus layover facility, eliminating a pick-up and drop-off area, and signalizing the Metro Access Road and Frontier Drive intersections.

Countywide

Fairfax County police crack down on aggressive driving, including at car meets

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 14, 2023 at 10:15AM

A Fairfax County police officer watches traffic pass through a 25 mph school zone (via FCPD)

Don’t be surprised if you notice more cops on the road in the coming days.

The Fairfax County Police Department wants its officers to make their presence known this week with a “Road Shark” campaign intended to crack down on and deter aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding and distracting phone usage.

Countywide

Multi-vehicle crash at GW Parkway blocks up Beltway in McLean

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 14, 2023 at 9:30AM

After a multi-vehicle crash at the George Washington Parkway, traffic backups on I-495 extend past Lewinsville Road (via VDOT)

One person got trapped and needed to be extracted from a vehicle in a crash on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in McLean this morning (Tuesday).

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reported at 9:05 a.m. that it had units on the scene of the multi-vehicle crash on northbound I-495 at the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange.

News

Annandale fire caused over $2 million in damages to local businesses

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 13, 2023 at 4:30PM | Updated March 13, 2023 at 5:08PM

Fairfax County firefighters battle a blaze in the 7200 block of Columbia Pike (via FCFRD/Twitter)

(Updated at 5:05 p.m.) A fire that tore through four Annandale businesses yesterday (Sunday) caused over $2.2 million in property damages, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department estimates.

The two-alarm fire began in the low-lying commercial building in the 7200 block of Columbia Pike around 7:06 a.m., prompting an extended closure of the roadway as firefighters spent hours working to extinguish the flames.

News

Man found with 18,000 fentanyl pills in I-95 crash sentenced to prison

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 13, 2023 at 2:30PM

The U.S. District Court in Alexandria (via Google Maps)

A 25-year-old man whose extensive stash of fentanyl was discovered after a police pursuit in Lorton last summer now faces over 11 years in prison.

A federal judge sentenced Alpha Amin Kamara to 135 months in prison on Friday (March 10) for engaging in a conspiracy to distribute thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl around Northern Virginia, federal prosecutors announced.

News

Vienna police offer free wheel locks to combat rise in Hyundai thefts

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 13, 2023 at 1:15PM

Vienna police officer with a Hyundai steering wheel lock (courtesy Vienna Police Department)

Vienna residents who own a Hyundai can now obtain a free steering wheel lock from the town’s police department.

The Vienna Police Department has “several” wheel locks on hand from Hyundai Motor Company, which launched a national campaign in response to a TikTok challenge that has inspired an increase in thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles.

News

Beulah Road closed after crash takes out electric pole near Meadowlark

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 13, 2023 at 10:45AM

Beulah Road has been closed near Meadowlark Botanical Gardens for repairs to an electric pole down by a vehicle crash (via Google Maps)

Residents of the Wolf Trap area near Meadowlark Botanical Gardens may want to charge up their phones now before the power goes out sometime today (Monday).

A “large power outage” is expected to be necessary so that Dominion Energy can replace a pole on that was knocked down last night by a vehicle crash on Beulah Road, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.