The first major redesign of Metro’s bus operating network since the system’s founding in the early 1970s will help Fairfax County riders and those across the region, local transit leaders say.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) board of directors approved the Better Bus Network redesign last Thursday, Nov. 21. Two years in the making, the changes aim to create a more seamless, easy-to-understand system for riders that’s also more efficient for the transit agency.
Efforts to upgrade bus service along the Route 7 corridor from Tysons to Alexandria continue to roll steadily forward, albeit with no recent headline-grabbing advances.
The $518 million initiative dubbed Envision Route 7 appears to be “moving along well,” Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) chair Matt de Ferranti said at the organization’s Nov. 7 meeting.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is planning more service changes for Fairfax Connector, specifically in the Reston, Herndon, Springfield and Centreville areas of the county.
Set to be discussed at two online community meetings this week, the proposals would serve to increase frequency, realign some service and add a new Route 652. Planned for elimination is Route 599, a rush-hour express service that runs between Reston and the Pentagon, Pentagon City and Crystal City areas of Arlington.
Fairfax County may need to invoke eminent domain to secure more than a dozen properties along Richmond Highway for its new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to move ahead with acquiring land rights to 13 commercial and residential properties — including a Wells Fargo bank, a pet hospital, and a hotel — by early December for the new bus route, known as “The One,” regardless of whether settlement agreements are in place.
Two roadway projects set to transform Richmond Highway will take longer to implement than anticipated.
The Virginia Department of Transportation’s project set to expand a portion of the four-lane roadway to six lanes is now expected to be completed in 2032 — six years after the once-targeted 2026 time frame.
Fairfax Connector will roll out some notable service changes later this month, including the launch of its first-ever direct connection to Montgomery County in Maryland.
The new Express Route 789 between Tysons and Bethesda will begin operating on Sept. 16, providing weekday, rush-hour service to five stops using the Capital Beltway (I-495) and American Legion Bridge.
With extensive construction on the horizon for Richmond Highway, Fairfax County has been handed a roadmap to help manage the impact, preserve the area’s heritage, support local businesses and keep the community engaged.
Last week, the nonprofit consulting group Urban Land Institute (ULI) released a report with a blueprint for redevelopment along the upcoming 7.4-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route from the Huntington Metro Station to Fort Belvoir.
Commuters will soon get the option to travel directly between Virginia and Maryland’s most populous counties by bus, though the initial journey likely won’t be swift.
Fairfax County will receive $2 million from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) to provide Fairfax Connector bus service between the Tysons West Park Transit Station (8300 Jones Branch Drive) and the Bethesda Metro station (7450 Wisconsin Avenue) in Montgomery County.
The price of taking Fairfax Connector is officially going up.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the bus system’s first fare increase in seven years without discussion at a meeting today (Tuesday). Starting on July 29, fares will jump about 12% from $2 to $2.25 for the base rate and from $4.25 to $4.80 for express fares.
Fairfax County is set to receive close to $51 million from the federal government to buy 60 new diesel-electric hybrid Connector buses.
Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner announced yesterday (Wednesday) that the county has been awarded over $50.5 million for the buses from the Federal Transportation Administration’s Low or No Emission Grant program, which has funded more than 1,100 buses in 47 states.
