(Updated at 2:20 p.m.) Fairfax County is beginning talks for a pedestrian crossing at a dangerous intersection of Wiehle Avenue at the Dulles Toll Road ramps in Reston.
As part of its plan to redevelop the Campus Commons office complex, developer TF Cornerstones has agreed to give the county $1.65 million to build an alternative crossing for the area after a study group failed to reach consensus on a preferred alternative for the site in 2021.
But before an alternative option is chosen, the county will kick off a Wiehle Avenue corridor study that will evaluate Wiehle Avenue between Sunrise Valley Drive and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.
An in-person meeting on the study is slated for Monday, Nov. 13 from 5:30-9 p.m. in the Langston Hughes Middle School cafeteria (11401 Ridge Heights Road).
Resounding community concerns about safety at the proposed at-grade crossing prompted the formation of a study group in 2020 that evaluated three proposed options for the site.
But virtually all members voted against the three options proposed by TF Cornerstones. Instead, 71% supported a crossing with an underpass — which comes with a hefty price tag — and 59% supported an enhanced at-grade pedestrian crosswalk with more multimodal improvements.
So far, the Board of Supervisors has emphasized the need for a high-visibility, at-grade crossing in the area — and one that is considered “aesthetically pleasing,” said Freddy Serrano, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT).
A timeline for the implementation of the Campus Commons crossing has not yet been determined. Under its development conditions, TF Cornerstones doesn’t need to give the money to the county until it receives its first occupancy permit for Building C, a 27-story multi-family residential building, according to FCDOT.
“There has been no movement on this project so that timeline is unknown,” Serrano said.
Ultimately, the outcome will depend on the Wiehle Avenue corridor study.
With the study, county transportation officials will incorporate ideas from the public and work with consultant Fehr & Peers to develop three concepts to test in 2030 for the overall corridor. The models will help determine how potential changes will affect traffic operations, accessibility and pedestrian safety.
“We will take these concepts and the resulting future analysis back to the public early next year and will solicit their feedback to arrive at a preferred concept for Wiehle Avenue,” Serrano said.
TF Cornerstone plans to build two buildings with 655 apartments, more than 520,000 square feet of office space and a little over 28,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. A 24-story tower and two small towers are proposed.
Image via Google Maps
A new traffic pattern is in effect on Reston Parkway after a crash in July damaged two beams on the bridge over the Dulles Toll Road.
The left lane of the road is closed to reduce the weight placed on the damaged beams. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) is working to arrange the repairs on the underside of the bridge.
“Having lost a lane of capacity on southbound Reston Parkway, a longer term pattern was put in place to regain some capacity in the form of a choice lane,” Ellen Kamilakis, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Transportation, told FFXnow.
The truck crash happened several months ago, Kamilakis said. The left lane of the the southbound Reston Parkway over the toll road was closed on July 10.
While the left lane is still closed, the ramp to the eastbound toll road was re-striped as an exit and thru lane.
Hey Restonians! We know the left lane of SB Reston Pkwy over @dulles_toll_rd was closed after the bridge hit on 7/10. We're making a traffic pattern change to regain capacity. The left lane is still closed, but the ramp to EB DTR was restriped as an exit *and* a thru lane. pic.twitter.com/ha5ykz7AYg
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) August 16, 2023
A man died after hitting a deer on the Dulles Airport Access Highway in Tysons last night (Wednesday).
Police responded to the westbound lanes about a mile west of the Capital Beltway (I-495) for a single-vehicle crash around 8:17 p.m., says the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which has jurisdiction over the Dulles Access Road.
Upon arriving, officers found the adult, male driver dead in the vehicle, which police described as a “ride-share Toyota minivan.”
An injured passenger was transported to Reston Hospital Center by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, according to scanner traffic. Police confirmed that the passenger was a rideshare customer.
“Airport-bound traffic was detoured to the Dulles Toll Road during the accident reconstruction,” MWAA said.
Horrendous incident on the Dulles Access Road tonight. Rideshare driver headed to airport killed when he struck a deer in Tysons. Passenger also injured. Both access lanes closed, tolled lanes open @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/fHWSMj5NRY
— Tom Lynch (@TomLynch_) May 18, 2023
FATAL DEER-VS-AUTO CRASH — westbound Dulles Access Rd just past the tollbooth. One human dead, and another injured. #VATraffic pic.twitter.com/lBvDaRMzOc
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) May 18, 2023
Map via Google Maps
The days of saving up loose change to pay the Dulles Toll Road’s fees are officially in the past.
Effective today (Wednesday), the 14-mile highway also known as Route 237 has converted to an all-electronic, cashless payment system, joining the network of express lanes that criss-cross Northern Virginia.
“Eliminating cash toll collection is expected to speed traffic flow and benefit the environment by reducing emissions that would have been produced by vehicles waiting in toll-booth lines,” the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the road, said in a news release.
All coin baskets have now been deactivated.
The MWAA Board of Directors approved the plan to transition away from coin payments on Nov. 16. At that same meeting, the board also increased fees on the Dulles Toll Road for the first time in five years, a hike that took effect on Jan. 1.
Under the new system, payments can be made with an E-Z Pass or mobile apps. Drivers who don’t have an E-Z Pass transponder will be identified by their license plate and get an invoice mailed to them.
For those who “pay by plate,” two-axle vehicles will be charged $5.60 at the toll road’s main plaza and $3.60 on the ramps. That rate includes a $1.60 administrative fee that state law permits MWAA to collect “to recover the costs of pay-by-plate transactions.”
The fees can be paid online before or after an invoice arrives.
Fees are slightly lower for E-Z Pass users at $4 for the main plaza and $2 for the ramps, since they don’t have to pay the administrative fee.
According to MWAA, about 2% or 726,367 Dulles Toll Road transactions were paid by cash in 2022. The authority had already removed many toll booths to create E-Z Pass express lanes in 2019, and manual toll collections ceased in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dulles Toll Road stretches from Route 28 by the Dulles International Airport in the west to the Capital Beltway near Tysons to the east.
Toll revenue goes toward the highway’s operating and maintenance costs, while also funding construction of Metro’s Silver Line, which launched service from Reston to Ashburn on Nov. 15.
There are only a few days left before fee increases go into effect on the Dulles Toll Road.
Beginning Jan. 1, at the main line plaza, tolls will rise from $3.25 to $4 for two-axle vehicles, $6.50 to $8 for three-axle vehicles, $7.75 to $9.25 for four-axle vehicles, and $9 to $10.50 for five-axle vehicles.
The increase was approved by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors earlier this year. This is the first fee increase since 2019.
“Strategic debt management and refinancing efforts have kept toll rates lower than original projections through the years,” MWAA wrote in a statement.
The next toll increase will go into effect on 2028. Overall, hikes are expected every five years, according to MWAA. Increases are expected to continue through 2058.
At the ramps, tolls will increase from $1.25 to $2 for two-axle vehicles, $3 to $4 for three-axle vehicles, $3.50 to $4.50 for four-axle vehicles, and $4 to $5 for five-axle vehicles.
Toll booths will also be eliminated in the coming months, with the system switching to fully electronic payments.
Revenue from the tolls funds operating and maintenance costs, along with a portion of the construction costs for Silver Line. Service for the extension began in mid-November.
(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) One person was killed this morning in a multi-vehicle crash on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Tysons.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department had reported that one person had sustained injuries considered life-threatening, but the fatality wasn’t confirmed until just after 10 a.m. by the Virginia State Police.
VSP said it responded to the crash in the northbound lanes of I-495 near the exit for Route 267 at 6:52 a.m.
According to VSP, the driver of a 2019 Ford F-150 pickup — identified as Robert A. Blakely, 71, from D.C. — was “ejected from his vehicle” and died at the scene. A passenger in another vehicle received treatment for minor injuries.
The crash shut down the northbound Express Lanes and multiple general lanes on I-495 at the Dulles Access Road for hours during this morning’s rush hour, prompting vehicles in the toll lanes to be diverted at Route 7.
By 9 a.m., traffic backups extended approximately 9.8 miles to the end of the Express Lanes in North Springfield, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s traffic cameras.
This is the second major crash on the Beltway in as many days. During yesterday’s evening rush hour, a man died after being struck by an SUV near the Braddock Road exit. He had gotten out of the tractor-trailer he was driving following a collision with a sedan.
Units on scene of a multi-vehicle crash on I495 NB at Dulles Access Rd in Mclean area. One life-threatening injury. NB Express Lanes and multiple lanes of I495 NB closed for unknown duration. Expect delays. Seek alternate route. View Map: https://t.co/ooNN1smrhc #FCFRD #traffic pic.twitter.com/AQysAWs8dn
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 1, 2022
Update: delays now extend past Little River Turnpike, with debris cleanup in progress. Reconstruction will occur at a later time. Expect general lanes to begin opening soon, followed by express lanes. #VATraffic #DMVTraffic https://t.co/im0z6oJxRN
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) December 1, 2022
Drivers on the Dulles Toll Road can expect to pay higher tolls beginning next year.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Board of Directors voted yesterday morning to increase fees for users of the toll road — bringing tolls to $6 for the average driver.
The increase is expected to cover highway operations and maintenance costs, along with a dedicated set-aside for phase two of the Silver Line, which opened Tuesday (Nov. 15). The increase does not directly fund cost overruns associated with the project and has long been anticipated as part of a long-term funding plan.
At the main line plaza, tolls will rise from $3.25 to $4 for two-axle vehicles, $6.50 to $8 for three-axle vehicles, $7.75 to $9.25 for four-axle vehicles, and $9 to $10.50 for five-axle vehicles.
At the ramps, tolls will increase from $1.25 to $2 for two-axle vehicles, $3 to $4 for three-axle vehicles, $3.50 to $4.50 for four-axle vehicles, and $4 to $5 for five-axle vehicles.
The next toll increases is slated for 2028, according to MWAA’s board. “Modest” toll rate hikes are generally expected every five years, MWAA wrote in a statement.
MWAA also plans to collect a $1.60 administrative fee to process tolls for drivers who do not pay with the EZPass. The move comes as the toll road makes a shift to all electronic collections next year.
MWAA plans to eliminate toll boots at existing toll lanes in the coming months.
“Eliminating toll booths is expected to speed traffic flow and benefit the environment by reducing emissions that would have been produced by vehicles waiting in toll-booth lines,” MWAA wrote in a statement.
A man who reportedly fired shots near an elementary school in Herndon may have been drunk, police said in an update yesterday.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, the man fired a handgun at Hutchinson Elementary School, where “a community event” was taking place.
“A man wearing a black jacket and blue jeans was reported to have discharged a handgun in the air and appeared to be intoxicated,” the FCPD said.
When police arrived at the scene shortly after 4 p.m., the man ran into the woods towards the Dulles Toll Road and was hit by a car. The man’s injuries are no longer life threatening, police said.
The driver of the 2015 Lexus that hit the man stayed on the scene of the incident. Police do not believe alcohol was a factor for the driver, but it does appear to be a factor for the man.
So far, police have obtained warrants for felony reckless discharge of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and possessing a firearm on school grounds. The man’s name and mugshot will be released once warrants are served, the police department said.
The incident prompted the closure of the westbound lanes of the toll road. The FCPD’s canine unit found a handgun “in the wooded area along the path” where the man fled from police.
An administrative investigation is also underway by the FCPD’s internal affairs bureau.
Starting next week, all drivers traveling north on the Capital Beltway through Tysons will share the same exit to get to the westbound Dulles Toll Road.
The existing Exit 45 will be closed around Wednesday, Nov. 16, so construction can begin on a new bridge for the Beltway (I-495) over the toll road ramps, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced Thursday (Nov. 3).
Both general-purpose and express traffic looking to get onto the toll road’s westbound lanes will instead be directed onto a 495 Express Lanes ramp, located about one-third of a mile south of the old exit.
“To facilitate this new travel pattern, I-495 will be reduced from four to three lanes for a stretch of approximately one-half mile near the I-495 and Dulles Corridor interchange,” VDOT said. “…Due to this change, drivers traveling on southbound Route 123 will not be able to access westbound Dulles Toll Road from northbound I-495.”
The new configuration will be in place through early 2025, as work continues on the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project, which is extending the lanes 2.5 miles from Tysons to the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange in McLean.
The redesigned Dulles Toll Road interchange will include two new ramps from I-495 North, one going east and one going west. Three stormwater ponds are also being constructed inside the ramp from the westbound toll road to the Beltway.
Active construction began on 495 NEXT in late May and is expected to continue into 2026.
A man allegedly fired gunshots outside Hutchinson Elementary School near Herndon before fleeing police and getting into a crash on the Dulles Toll Road.
Fairfax County police officers were called to the school for a report of shots being fired into the air around 4:09 p.m. today, according to Fairfax County Police Department Lt. Dan Spital.
When officers arrived at the school, they saw a group of men behind the school, one of whom ran through a wooded area — presumably the adjacent Hutchinson Park — and onto the Dulles Toll Road, police said.
“Once that man got onto the Dulles Toll Road, he was struck by a vehicle,” Spital said in a brief update around 6:30 p.m. “That vehicle remained on scene, and the patient was listed in critical condition. He was ground-transported to a local hospital, where he’s being treated for injuries that are still considered life-threatening.”
K9 officers found a firearm in the woods on the path where the foot chase took place, according to police.
FCPD Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives remain on the Dulles Toll Road, as the investigation continues.
Watch as Lieutenant Dan Spital provides an update to the community about this afternoon’s shooting at Hutchison ES. Follow our blog, https://t.co/lhGv3NDvYs, for any available updates. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/grt134nWOa
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) November 6, 2022
