Driving on Richmond Highway in Fairfax County could get a little slower, potentially by the beginning of next year.

Virginia Department of Transportation staff said last week that the speed limit should be reduced from 45 to 35 mph along a 7.31-mile stretch of the roadway from the Capital Beltway at the Alexandria border to Jeff Todd Way in Mount Vernon.

The recommendation came from a year-long speed study prompted by concerns about the safety of the corridor, which saw two fatal pedestrian crashes in the span of a week earlier this July. The study found one 1.5-mile stretch that had a 75% higher crash rate than Virginia’s average.

According to the National Safety Council, speeding contributed to 29% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. in 2020. Research suggests 10 mph can make a significant difference in the risk of severe injury or death that pedestrians face when hit by a vehicle.

Several states, including Virginia, have moved in recent years to lower speed limits on local streets, but about 60% of pedestrian deaths occur on major, non-interstate roads. In Fairfax County, speed limits in corridors like Richmond Highway and the also-treacherous Route 7 range from 35 to 45 mph even in increasingly urban, populous areas.

Though VDOT staff said reducing Route 1’s speed limit is expected to have a “minimal” impact on traffic, some community members at last week’s virtual meeting worried it might exacerbate congestion and cut-through traffic. Notably, the study recommended maintaining the 45 mph on the road through the Fort Belvoir area.

Others questioned the effectiveness of lowering the speed limit without robust police enforcement and other safety measures, such as added crosswalks and protected sidewalks. A recent report from the nonprofit Smart Growth America argued that driver behavior is more influenced by how roads are designed than posted speed limits.

How do you feel about lowering the speed limit on Richmond Highway and other major roads in Fairfax County? Is it a necessary safety improvement, or do you think other approaches should be considered instead?

The weekend is almost here. Before you search for relief from this weekend’s heat wave 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. Future Soapstone Connector will cut through historic district in Reston
2. County offers $2.9M for land to build new Tysons road near Capital One
3. Bank in Reston Town Center shutters
4. JUST IN: Fairfax County Adult Detention Center inmate dies after medical emergency
5. Fairfax County considers more speed devices after fatal Oakton crash
6. Man sleeping in vehicle carjacked in Merrifield, police report
7. County board ditches developer proposal for dicey crossing at Wiehle Avenue
8. Fairfax County awarded more than $335 million for transportation projects
9. Economic climate leads Comstock to temporarily halt Downtown Herndon redevelopment
10. County heightens scrutiny of Tysons accessibility after issues at The Boro

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 treat yourself to some ice cream 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. Longtime Edison HS basketball coach fired, sparking community concern
2. Shipgarten, Tysons’ food and drink ‘theme park,’ set for grand opening this weekend
3. JUST IN: Tens of thousands in Fairfax County lose power after storm
4. Jeff Bezos’ space flight company Blue Origin has its Reston landing spot
5. Driver chastised for speed pulls out gun, peeping ‘ghost’ in new Vienna police report
6. Major Church Street development gets blessing of Vienna Town Council
7. FCPD: Officers involved in McLean fatal shooting had crisis training
8. Lake Audubon residents protest order to remove boats off shoreline
9. Covid cases plateau in Fairfax County, as new subvariant takes over U.S.
10. Longtime Vienna barber shop to close for good after August

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 name for Lee District has officially changed.

Last week, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the name “Franconia District” for the Springfield, Franconia, Kingstowne, and Hybla Valley area represented by Rodney Lusk, who brought forward the proposal after community input.

Based on feedback from the community, Franconia was the most agreed-upon name to replace Lee, which fell out of favor due to its possible association with Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

While the new moniker took effect immediately, the approved board matter directed the county executive to report back to the board on what administrative work will be needed to facilitate the change and an expected timeline.

The board also voted to assign staff to reach out to businesses, nonprofits, community groups and other entities that may be impacted by the change and recommend possible strategies to support them.

So, what do you think of the new name?

The weekend is almost here. Before you squeeze in a post-work workout 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: One hospitalized, two arrested after police shooting in Herndon
2. JUST IN: Herndon bank robbed, leading to police search and arrest
3. Where to celebrate Fourth of July, watch fireworks in Fairfax County
4. NEW: Pedestrian killed in crash on Dulles Airport Highway near Reston
5. Comstock proposes turning future Reston Row building from low-rise to high-rise
6. Maryland driver charged after I-495 police pursuit ends with car flipping in Tysons
7. Starting July 1, Virginia will permit alcohol deliveries, frown on arrest quotas, and other new laws
8. JUST IN: Tractor-trailer fire shuts down Capital Beltway at Route 50
9. McLean Community Center issues apology for Fourth of July fireworks cancellation
10. Fairfax County releases plan for new, two-story Tysons community center

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!

Independence Day weekend is almost here. Before you prepare for the oncoming barrage of fireworks 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. NEW: Amazon seeks to convert Great Falls nursery into a greenhouse for Arlington’s HQ2
2. FCPD can again stop drivers for loud exhaust systems, under new Virginia law
3. New Outback Steakhouse opens in Herndon next week
4. Where to celebrate Fourth of July, watch fireworks in Fairfax County
5. Starting July 1, Virginia will permit alcohol deliveries, frown on arrest quotas, and other new laws
6. Police investigate arson, graffiti related to Roe v. Wade at Reston church
7. UPDATED: Police barricade Groveton apartment after shooting, but suspect not found
8. J.R.’s Stockyards Inn, Tysons’ original steakhouse, has been demolished
9. Latin street food spot to open on Halloween in Reston’s Plaza America
10. Cardboard regatta turns to Lake Anne after two-year hiatus

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 try to process the end of the Roe v. Wade era 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. Here’s what will replace Clyde’s in Reston Town Center
2. Three people injured while evacuating Tysons Corner Center, now closed after gunfire
3. BREAKING: Metro takes control of Silver Line Phase 2
4. South Lakes Village Center seeks to convert vacant bank into drive-thru fast food restaurant
5. Frying Pan townhouse fire sparked by malfunctioning battery pack
6. Man dies after drowning in McLean stream, police say
7. JUST IN: Driver charged in Oakton crash that killed two teens
8. Demolition of Georgetown Pike Bridge over Beltway starts this week
9. Fairfax County police seeking D.C. rapper for Tysons Corner Center shooting
10. Construction coming soon to replace Vienna’s Outback Steakhouse with a Chase Bank

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!

Fairfax County is considering the addition of photo speed cameras in school crossing and highway work zones.

The Fairfax County Police Department has been working on the initiative, and a plan will be finalized before it is presented to the Board of Supervisors in a report, Deputy County Executive for Safety and Security Tom Arnold previously told FFXnow.

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik hopes to get Oakton High School into a pilot for the speed cameras, she told FFXnow. Two Oakton High students recently died after a driver struck them and another student walking on the sidewalk of Blake Lane, a corridor where the community has had growing safety concerns.

Police say the 18-year-old driver of the car was speeding on Blake Lane before crashing into an SUV and then striking the three students.

Nearby cities and counties have added the safety devices in the last few years since a state law passed in 2020 enabling jurisdictions to install speed cameras in school and construction zones. Arlington County passed its own law allowing the devices in January, and the City of Fairfax added cameras around schools last year.

The state law dictates that local governments can impose a civil penalty if a vehicle is traveling 10 mph or more above the posted speed limit. The penalty can’t exceed $100, state law outlines.

County and state officials will hold a community meeting tonight (Thursday) on possible safety improvements in the Blake Lane corridor. The meeting will take place on Zoom with Palchik livestreaming it on her Facebook page.

The county and state have discussed improvements in the past, such as the recent implementation of an additional $200 fine for speed limit violations on Blake Lane between Jermantown Road and Sutton Road.

How do you feel about adding speed cameras in school and construction zones in the county?

The weekend is almost here. Before you take your roller skates out for a spin 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. Police: Nunchucks used in Reston assault
2. NEW: Whole Foods Market to open in Springfield Plaza
3. Proposed Reston Town Center arts facility could cost up to $81 million, report says
4. Bear spotted around Belle Haven, crossing GW Parkway
5. Vienna Police: Construction noise issues go to court and a slap heard around Dunkin’ Donuts
6. Metro to announce ‘operational readiness’ of Silver Line Phase 2 soon
7. Bar and lounge to open soon at Reston’s Faraday Park
8. After deadly Oakton crash, officials take new look at Blake Lane safety concerns
9. Morning Poll: Will you miss the annual Celebrate Fairfax festival?
10. Juneteenth 2022: What’s open and closed in Fairfax County for the holiday

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 Celebrate Fairfax! Festival is returning in a new form this year — smaller events throughout the county.

The annual festival was a summer highlight featuring bands, carnival rides, and more at the Fairfax County Government Center, but this year, the nonprofit Celebrate Fairfax Inc. is bringing parts of the festival to each of the county’s districts, organizers announced in April.

The karaoke competition that traditionally was at the festival will take place at block parties at the PARC at Tysons, starting this Friday (June 17).

“We are bringing a Celebrate Fairfax! Festival favorite to the PARC – the Fairfax County Karaoke Competition! During the first Block Party we will have our wildcard competition, so get ready to sing at the top of your lungs!” the event website reads. The karaoke semifinals will be held Friday, July 15, and the finals on Friday, Aug. 19.

The Block Party will also feature outdoor games, a food truck and Beltway Brewing.

The first #BlockParty of #summer2022 is one week away! With #beer, #food, #games, and #karaoke there is something for everyone! Join us at 4pm for open mic karaoke and stick around because at 6pm the Fairfax County Karaoke Wildcard Competition begins! #summernights #fridaynights pic.twitter.com/UY4oIOhIyg

— CelebrateFFX (@CelebrateFFX) June 10, 2022

The announcement of the event’s new form drew ire from some on social media who referred to the festival as a tradition. In the past, the annual three-day festival has drawn some 70,000 attendees and featured nationally known bands, including All-American Rejects, Everclear, and Third Eye Blind, but it was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During the past year, Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. (CFI) had the opportunity to re-envision how we, as a 501c3 nonprofit organization, fulfill our mission to celebrate Fairfax County and its communities,” the organization said. “CFI has been a staple in the Fairfax County community for nearly 40 years.”

Celebrate Fairfax lists an event planned for Wednesday, July 13, in Springfield — Springfield Nights: Celebrate Fairfax Kids, which includes a balloon artist and magic shows. The nonprofit also hosted its first Braddock Bark dog festival this past weekend.

So, with the old festival taking new shape, will you miss the big event?