If you’re driving along the highways in Northern Virginia, do you usually hop into an express lane or do you prefer to tough it out in the normal lanes with the rest of the proletariat?

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced last week that the new I-66 Express Lanes running from the Beltway down to Centreville are set to fully open today (Tuesday).

“[VDOT and partners] announced today that the westbound direction of the new 66 Express Lanes from I-495 (Capital Beltway) to Route 28 in Centreville remains on schedule to open on or about this Saturday, Nov. 19,” VDOT said in a release. “The eastbound direction of this same 13-mile section of express lanes is expected to open by the end of November and could open as early as next Tuesday, Nov. 22, depending on weather and other factors.”

Along with the expansion, this month marks the 10-year anniversary of the express lanes opened on I-495. Since Express Lanes started being added to the highways around Northern Virginia, they’ve become largely ubiquitous along I-495, I-95 and I-395.

Intended to allow faster travel, the lanes charge vehicles based on demand, which can lead to eye-popping tolls. In two weeks, drivers will need to have at least two passengers to use the I-66 lanes for free, an increase from the current HOV-2 requirement.

The weekend is almost here. Before you hop on (or lament) the latest addition to the I-66 toll lanes or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. BREAKING: Teen pedestrian killed in crash on Columbia Pike
2. With opening day tomorrow, here’s what you need to know about Silver Line Phase II
3. Fast-food chain Roy Rogers, named after Hollywood’s cowboy king, was born in Fairfax County
4. Herndon house fire displaces eight people, cat rescued
5. Redevelopment of former Sheraton Tysons Hotel could bring new public gathering spaces
6. After decades of planning, Silver Line Phase II officially opens
7. Two killed in separate vehicle crashes in Great Falls and West Springfield
8. Fairfax County extends farmers market season into December for three sites
9. Nintendo gaming pop-up coming to Tysons Corner Center
10. Covid cases stay down, but other respiratory illnesses are surging, N. Va. health leaders say

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

The weekend is almost here. Before you prepare to turn back the clock on Sunday (Nov. 6) or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. Black bear filmed strolling by Adaire Apartments in Tysons
2. Tysons black bear has also been seen in Vienna, Reston, police confirm
3. JUST IN: Wegmans announces opening date for Reston location
4. BREAKING: Silver Line Phase II to open in mid-November
5. Developer seeks to build affordable apartments near Innovation Center Metro station
6. Halloween creeps up on Tysons early with mall trick-or-treating
7. Police identify suspected shooter in Skyline Towers shooting
8. Business dedicated to stretching opens in North Point Village Center
9. County hit with deluge of new voter registrations a week before election
10. Police seek persons of interest after man fatally shot at Skyline Towers

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

County Prosecutor Often Sought Suspects’ Detention — “Fairfax County’s top prosecutor, who has faced criticism for practices some view as too lenient, released data Wednesday showing that his office recommended people accused of violent crimes be denied bail at 76 percent of hearings but that judges did so only about half the time.” [The Washington Post]

Gummies Linked to Sickness at Fairfax County School — “At least seven students at Liberty Middle School in Fairfax County, Virginia, reported feeling ill after apparently eating Delta 8 THC gummies, the principal of the school said in a letter to families.” [NBC 4]

County School Enrollment Up — “Enrollment in Virginia’s largest school system has increased for the first time since the pandemic, but the number of students attending classes still isn’t back to pre-pandemic levels.” [WTOP]

Nonprofit Kicks Off Gift Campaign — “Britepaths is seeking donations from the community to provide meals and gifts to 265 families across Fairfax County during the upcoming holiday season as part of the Fairfax-based nonprofit’s Holiday Program.” [Reston Patch]

It’s Friday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 57 and low of 42. Sunrise at 7:33 am and sunset at 6:14 pm. [Weather.gov]

The weekend is almost here. Before you check out the Richmond Highway corridor’s first parklet or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. Undeveloped site on Route 50 could become data center or warehouse
2. Woman killed in crash near Fairfax Towne Center, capping deadly week for local pedestrians
3. Teen in hospital with serious injuries from accidental BB gun shooting in McLean
4. NEW: Two killed in moped crash on Dulles Toll Road in Wolf Trap
5. New Lorton Community Center is now open, joining renovated library and park
6. Police: Man shot at officers and led chase from Arlington to West Falls Church
7. Fairfax County School Board commits to supporting transgender students, as community speaks out
8. Fairfax County could introduce speed enforcement cameras with pilot next year
9. Police search underway for missing woman, last seen in Reston
10. Man killed on I-95 in Springfield by driver who tried to flee, police say

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

The weekend is almost here. Before you consider whether your neighborhood school should have a speed camera or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. Three dead after vehicle crashes in Tysons and Fort Belvoir, FCPD says
2. FCPD to review viral traffic stop of mother on Richmond Highway
3. Fairfax County proposes compelling developers to replace lost affordable housing
4. Virginia’s limits on local authority are becoming “more intrusive” for Fairfax County, board chair says
5. Fairfax County must pay MWAA another $40M for Silver Line Phase II
6. New Route 7 travel lane opens earlier than expected in Reston
7. County plans to get more HOAs on board with electric vehicle chargers, starting in Reston
8. I-495 widening will require removal of cell tower in McLean, potentially affecting service
9. Police: Vienna resident assaulted after confronting men leaving his apartment
10. Shooter fires gun into car in Mount Vernon, killing man, police say

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

The weekend is almost here. Before the remnants of Hurricane Ian arrive or you head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. Metro unveils new map with addition of Silver Line extension
2. Alcorn shuts door on possibility of redeveloping Reston National Golf Course
3. Uniqlo opens Fair Lakes store, its first in an open-air shopping center
4. Students across Fairfax County protest proposed policies limiting transgender student rights
5. Convenience store approved for longtime family-owned gas station in Springfield
6. Police: Motorcyclist died after crash on I-495 near Inova Fairfax
7. Remains found in Tysons identified as teen who disappeared 47 years ago
8. Reston’s Halley Rise development to feature new urban farm, fall festival
9. NEW: McKay believes ‘safe legal ground’ if FCPS defies state’s draft policies on transgender students
10. For owner Amir Mostafavi, South Block coming to McLean brings life ‘full circle’

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

(Updated at 9:40 a.m. on 9/30/2022) Metro’s extension of the Silver Line through Herndon into Loudoun County is finally starting to look like a reality, instead of a hypothetical, albeit expensive, project.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority unveiled new maps for its rail system last Friday (Sept. 23) that featured the six new stations, among other changes. A day earlier, its general manager got the go-ahead to set an opening date, though one has yet to be announced.

Coming six years after its initial projected opening of 2016, Silver Line Phase 2 will bring the D.C. region’s subway system into Loudoun for the first time, with stops at Dulles International Airport and Ashburn. Along the way, trains will pass through Reston Town Center, Herndon, and Innovation Center in the Dulles area.

Despite frustrations with the project’s many delays, Fairfax County officials remain hopeful that the rail line’s arrival will be a boon for residents and businesses in Reston and Herndon, fueling growth akin to what Tysons has seen since the Silver Line’s first phase opened there in 2014.

Are you excited to enter the shiny new Silver Line stations, potentially as soon as next month? Or have Metro’s ongoing safety and reliability issues turned you off of the transit system for now?

The weekend is almost here. Before you double check your Congressional district or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. Upcoming gastropub restaurant in Reston reignites family legacy, pays ode to Lake Anne
2. Nothing Bundt Cakes bakery arrives in Herndon, will offer free ‘bundtlets’ at grand opening
3. JUST IN: Truck hits McLean power line, killing man and prompting outage
4. BREAKING: Assistant arrested for allegedly assaulting special needs student at Dogwood ES
5. Developer seeks to convert Tysons office building into ‘live/work’ units
6. DEVELOPING: Pedestrian in hospital after crash in Pike 7 Plaza parking lot
7. FCPS ‘reviewing’ Virginia’s proposed policies on treatment of transgender students
8. Metro board takes key step to setting opening date of Silver Line Phase II
9. Proposed ‘home share’ program could help house older county residents
10. Reston planning committee approves Vantage Hill redevelopment

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!

Before you soak in the last summer rays before leaf-gathering season arrives or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the five most-read stories on FFXnow this week:

1. North Carolina truck driver killed in I-495 crash
2. Hiring underway ahead of Wegman’s 2023 opening in Reston
3. County board approves preferred path for Soapstone Connector in Reston
4. Inova gets green light for new Springfield hospital from Fairfax County
5. Fast-casual Indian restaurant to open in the Town of Herndon

Ideas for potential stories can be sent to news@ffxnow.com or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below. Have a great weekend, Fairfax County!