Fort Belvoir | FFXnow

Fort Belvoir wildlife crossing touted as solution to animal-vehicle collisions

Published November 4, 2024 at 2:30PM

Rep. Don Beyer speaks to crowd under new Fort Belvoir wildlife crossing (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Beneath a bustling stretch of Fairfax County Parkway lies a little-known wildlife crossing that might hold the key to reducing animal-vehicle collisions in Virginia.

Last Wednesday (Oct. 30), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and State Sen. David Marsden (D-35) toured the underpass nestled between Davison Army Airfield and Fort Belvoir. Constructed in the 1990s and still one of the state’s few such installations, the 192-foot-long, 20-foot-high structure facilitates safe migration for species from deer and bears to snakes and turtles.

News

Fairfax County could compel property sales for planned Richmond Highway bus system

By James Jarvis

Published October 25, 2024 at 8:15AM

Wells Fargo along Route 1 in Groveton (staff photo by James Jarvis)

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.

News

VDOT: Widening of Richmond Highway won’t be finished until 2032, delaying bus plan

By Jared Serre

Published September 24, 2024 at 3:45PM

Richmond Highway (staff photo by James Jarvis)

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.

News

New sculptures light up Richmond Highway, kicking off public art campaign

By James Jarvis

Published August 28, 2024 at 1:30PM | Updated August 28, 2024 at 2:31PM

‘Liquid Sunshine’ (left) and ‘Beacon,’ face sculptures by Michael Alfano, installed along Richmond Hwy (courtesy of Michael Alfano).

Two new sculptures were installed last Thursday (Aug. 22) along Richmond Highway, kicking off a public art campaign aimed at boosting community pride and enhancing the corridor’s visual appeal.

Positioned at Mount Vernon Plaza on Fordson Road and outside the North Hill Residences in Hybla Valley, respectively, the “Liquid Sunshine” and “Beacon” installations represent the first steps taken by the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC) to revitalize a 7 mile stretch from Ft. Belvoir to the Capital Parkway.

News

Proposed blueprint for Richmond Highway development prioritizes history and community

By James Jarvis

Published August 19, 2024 at 3:30PM

Richmond Highway (staff photo by James Jarvis)

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.

Around Town

Springfield community and local military reunite for annual Bridge Walk after multi-year hiatus

By James Jarvis

Published August 14, 2024 at 11:30AM

The 2016 Springfield Bridge Walk (via Fort Belvoir/Facebook)

After a several-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Springfield Bridge Walk is back on.

The annual event celebrating the connection between the Springfield community and the nearby major U.S. Army installation, Fort Belvoir, kicks off this Saturday (Aug. 17) at 10 a.m. at the corner of Bland Street and Amherst Avenue.

Countywide

Where to celebrate Juneteenth in the Fairfax County area

By Jamie Rogers

Published June 13, 2024 at 11:30AM | Updated June 14, 2024 at 9:36AM

Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert speaks at the town's Juneteenth Celebration in 2023 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Juneteenth is just under a week away, but in many places around Fairfax County, the celebrations will start this weekend.

Officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, it is observed annually on June 19, the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to liberate some 250,000 enslaved people who had not been freed despite President Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

News

Overturned truck spills jet fuel at Fort Belvoir, prompting environmental review

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 4, 2024 at 1:30PM

Fort Belvoir Fire and Emergency Services and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department respond to a fuel spill at Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir on April 3, 2024 (courtesy of Fort Belvoir Fire Emergency Services)

Clean-up efforts are underway at Fort Belvoir after a truck overturned near its airfield yesterday (Wednesday), spilling thousands of gallons of jet fuel and temporarily closing part of Richmond Highway.

Fort Belvoir Fire and Emergency Services and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to the Davison Army Airfield (6954 Britten Drive) around 6:30 p.m. in response to an overturned government fuel truck.

Around Town

Taste of NoVA food festival coming to Army Museum in Fort Belvoir

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 14, 2024 at 9:30AM

The inaugural Taste of NoVA event was held in Leesburg in 2023 (courtesy Amie Otto/Northern Virginia Magazine)

Dozens of restaurants and breweries from across Northern Virginia will descend on the Fort Belvoir area this spring.

The National Museum of the U.S. Army (1775 Liberty Drive) will host this year’s Taste of NoVA, a relatively new food festival produced by Northern Virginia Magazine as a celebration of its annual 50 Best Restaurants list.

News

Woman killed in I-495 crash near Rose Hill, motorcyclist injured in separate hit-and-run

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 9, 2023 at 10:20AM

Fairfax County police car lights (file photo)

A driver was killed and a motorcyclist seriously injured in two separate crashes in Fairfax County this morning (Thursday).

The fatal crash occurred around 12:30 a.m. on the Capital Beltway (I-495) near Eisenhower Avenue in the Rose Hill area, according to Virginia State Police.