(Updated at 1:20 p.m.) A pedestrian died last night (Friday) after a hit-and-run crash on Richmond Highway (Route 1) in the Woodlawn area of Mount Vernon.

Police officers were called to Richmond Highway near Brevard Court at 10:10 p.m., followed by emergency medical services with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department around 10:12 p.m.

“Vehicle struck a pedestrian. Pedestrian’s face is bloody and shoes were knocked off,” a dispatcher told police, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.

Eder Machado Aleman, 36, of Fairfax was hit by a driver while attempting to cross Richmond Highway “outside of the crosswalk,” the Fairfax County Police Department said in an update released shortly after noon today (Saturday).

Aleman was transported to a hospital, where he died. There are no crosswalks at Brevard Court or Buckman Road, the closest signalized intersection. The closest crosswalk to the crash site appears to be on the west side of Richmond Highway at Frye Road.

The driver fled the scene, possibly in a white SUV that a witness reported seeing before the crash, the FCPD said. The vehicle was last seen headed south on Richmond Highway, police said on the scanner.

The crash shut down Richmond Highway in both directions from shortly before 10:30 p.m. until around 1:30 a.m. today (Saturday).

“Detectives continue to work to identify the vehicle involved as well as the driver,” the FCPD said. “Speed and alcohol as factors in this crash are still under investigation.”

Based on state data, this is the seventh pedestrian fatality in Fairfax County this year and the third on Richmond Highway, where a motorcyclist was also killed in May. At this time last year, the county had recorded 14 pedestrian deaths.

In total, there were 32 pedestrians killed in the county in 2022, more than any other year since at least 2010.

All lanes of Rt.1 are now open. Follow our blog for available updates. https://t.co/QsTzdpgf0U

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 7, 2023

CRITICAL, PROBABLE FATAL, PEDESTRIAN STRUCK, HIT+RUN — Richmond Hwy at Brevard Ct in Woodlawn area of Fairfax Co. Police are looking for either a white pickup or SUV that fled. h/t @RVANOVA01 + @HCBright10 #VATraffic @ffxnow pic.twitter.com/onT5c0DFpS

— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) October 7, 2023

The owner of a local “exotic” snack shop has been arrested as part of a drug ring investigation by county police.

Last week, the Fairfax County Police Department announced it had arrested four individuals related to an investigation into an “extensive drug ring” in the Mount Vernon District.

One of those arrested was Matthew Powers, owner of the snack and collectible shop “Highs & Lows” which has locations on Richmond Highway and in Springfield Town Center. There’s also a shop inside the mall in Pentagon City.

Highs and Lows is advertised as having the “biggest selection of exotic sodas and snacks” in Virginia, with snacks “from all seven continents.”

Powers, who goes by the moniker “Fresh” and calls himself the shop’s “CE-BRO,” appeared over the summer on Fox5DC to promote the shops.

After a months-long investigation, FCPD says it arrested Powers and charged him with six counts of distributing narcotics and two counts of money laundering.

“During the operation, the detectives successfully confiscated a range of illicit substances, including Psilocybin and LSD, along with two firearms,” police said in the Sept. 18 press release. “Additionally, they seized over $138k in cash, discovered several bank accounts, valuable jewelry, and even a Porsche SUV – all believed to be connected to the illegal operations.”

The release notes that the seized narcotics have an estimated “street value” of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Powers is being held on a $10,000 bond.

FFXnow has reached out to FCPD for more details and to see if the stores were involved in any of the alleged illegal activity but didn’t hear back by publication.

As of yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, Highs & Lows on Richmond Highway was closed, and its phone number was disconnected. FFXnow emailed the business for comment but has not heard back either as of publication.

Three others were also arrested along with Powers, all charged with similar crimes. Those three men are in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.

Fairfax County is considering a pilot program to support more murals in its commercial revitalization areas.

The pilot program, called Paint It! Fairfax, was introduced at a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors economic initiatives committee meeting on Tuesday (Sept. 19).

If approved, the program would allocate $400,000 to complete at least two murals in the county’s Commercial Revitalization Districts (CRD) and Commercial Revitalization areas (CRA).

Richmond Highway would receive $85,000, with the rest spread out between the other CRDs and CRAs in Annandale, Bailey’s Crossroads and Seven Corners, Lake Anne, Lincolnia, McLean, Merrifield and Springfield, according to Jenee Padmore, a planner with the Department of Planning and Development’s Office of Community Revitalization.

Murals would remain on the property for at least five years, and artists would agree to repair the mural if it’s defaced or vandalized for a minimum of five years.

The program would begin with site identification and an agreement with the property owner, followed by calls for submission. The artist and committee would then work to finalize a concept to be presented to the community for input, followed by approval from the program director.

A Site and Artist Selection Committee would manage the program.

Elizabeth Hagg, deputy director of the community revitalization office, said that the program was developed at the board’s direction.

“If the board should confirm that this proposal is on target, our intention would be to come back to the board to seek funding through the economic reserve fund,” Hagg told the committee.

Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity encouraged staff to leverage students and community members to create and design the murals.

Overall, the board said they were supportive of the program. Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk, for example, noted that the addition of a mural at The Boro in Tysons is a significant asset. Some developers choose to install murals without specific direction from the county.

“I’m just in awe of it every single time. And I’ve looked at it so many different times,” Lusk said.

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik encouraged staff to consider adjusting the program timeline so that community input was prioritized earlier in the process.

“My big concern about this is the order,” she said.

(Updated 10:55 a.m. on 7/26/2023) The ongoing redevelopment of Richmond Highway (Route 1) in Fairfax County has sparked a larger discussion over whether the benefits of road widening projects outweigh their potential harm.

The Virginia Department of Transportation plans to bring improvements to a three-mile stretch in the Richmond Highway corridor in two phases: first from Jeff Todd Way to just north of Frye Road, then from just north of Frye Road to Sherwood Hall Lane.

Notably, the changes will widen Richmond Highway from four to six lanes, which will pave the way for bus rapid transit in the corridor but has garnered some pushback from local community members.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth, which advocates for more “sustainable” transportation methods such as walking, biking and transit in the D.C. region, claimed in a recent press release that “wider roads fail, and the public knows this.”

CSG’s Northern Virginia Advocacy Manager Sonya Breehey says road widening projects create induced demand, arguing that adding more travel lanes incentivizes more people to drive and increases congestion in the long run, despite offering short-term relief.

“The idea is, we get stuck in traffic, so we add travel lanes,” Breehey said. “It’s easy for a few years, but then those travel lanes fill back up and then everybody’s clamoring again for more road widening. It’s a cyclical problem.”

Rep. Don Beyer, who represents the county’s Route 1 area in Congress, told FFXnow in an exclusive interview that he supports road widening projects.

“I think [road widening projects] are an important part of congestion relief,” Beyer said. “There’s an alternative argument…that they will fill up as fast as you build them. That’s certainly been largely true in the metro D.C. area for a long time…but at the same time, I don’t know if it’s still true today.”

In addition to adding travel lanes, the Richmond Highway project reserves median space for future lanes dedicated to The One, a bus rapid transit system that aims to outpace traditional bus services with dedicated lanes and fewer stops.

With the BRT expected to be operational in 2030, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission announced last month that the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved $10 million to help implement the bus system from Fort Belvoir to the Huntington Metro station.

“This billion-dollar investment in a new state-of-the-art transportation system and in the communities along Richmond Highway will revitalize the area and provide more safe, convenient and dependable transportation options for the people who live here,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck wrote in a statement.

Storck says road widening can only be “done right” if it is “in coordination” with “walkable, bikeable communities and mass transit.” Read More

(Updated at 3 p.m.) A child was taken to the hospital last night (Tuesday) after a car crash on Richmond Highway in the Groveton area.

Police and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units were dispatched to the intersection of Richmond Highway (Route 1) and Holly Hill Road around 8:53 p.m., according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.

According to police, Jermaine Ridgely, 45, of Alexandria was driving north on Route 1 in a 2003 Infiniti when he hit a southbound 2010 Nissan Altima that was turning left into a parking lot in the 7100 block of Richmond Highway.

“A juvenile passenger in the Nissan Altima was seriously injured in the crash and was taken to an area hospital in life-threatening condition,” the Fairfax County Police Department said, noting that a medic with the fire department “witnessed the crash and immediately rendered medical aid.”

The child remains hospitalized, police said in an update today.

Scanner traffic suggested one other person was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, but no other injuries were mentioned in the police news release.

Ridgely was arrested and faces a charge for driving under the influence, along with a citation for failing to obey a highway sign.

“Preliminarily, detectives believe speed and alcohol were contributing factors in the crash,” the FCPD said.

Ridgely is currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond. An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Road Closure: Officers are on scene of a serious car crash at Rt.1 and Holly Hill Rd in the Groveton area. A juvenile passenger was taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Crash reconstruction detectives are enroute to the scene to continue the investigation. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/BL73ULalkh

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) July 12, 2023

Photo via FCPD/Twitter

Metro’s bus facility in Franconia is a step closer to going electric, thanks to a big infusion of funding from the federal government.

The Federal Transit Administration has awarded Metro a $104 million grant to convert its Cinder Bed Road Bus Division garage at 7901 Cinder Bed Road into a fully electric facility, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Monday (June 26).

In addition to supporting new charging infrastructure, the funds will enable Metro to buy about 100 battery-powered buses and develop a training program for drivers, mechanics and first responders, according to Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, who lauded the grant in a joint statement.

“We appreciate the Federal Transit Administration’s leadership in the transition to zero-emission bus technology that will help reduce air pollution and improve quality of life across the region,” WMATA Board Chair Paul Smedberg said, thanking the senators and other federal, state and local elected officials for helping secure the money.

Metro’s board of directors adopted a plan in 2021 directing the transit agency to purchase only buses that don’t produce carbon emissions by 2030 and fully transition to a zero-emission bus fleet by 2045.

Metro’s first electric bus arrived this month as part of an initial 12-vehicle batch that will operate out of the Shepherd Parkway garage in D.C., according to WMATA. The vehicles were expected earlier, but the delivery got delayed after a fire in Connecticut last summer forced the manufacturer New Flyer to recall hundreds of buses.

Located northeast of the I-95 and Fairfax County Parkway interchange, the Cinder Bed Road garage houses 121 40-foot buses that serve 11 routes, as of December 2021. It has parking for 160 vehicles and 13 maintenance bays.

According to Metro’s transition plan, the facility could host 112 battery-powered electric buses. It has “safe and efficient site circulation,” but a stacked bus parking layout and existing underground infrastructure for utilities and stormwater pose hurdles.

To fully cover the cost of converting the Cinder Bed garage, the federal grant will be matched by “a combination of local funding,” a Metro spokesperson said.

Fairfax County plans to use the facility for its future Richmond Highway bus rapid transit service. Branded as The One, the system will operate all-electric buses from Fort Belvoir to the Huntington Metro station, potentially beginning in 2030.

“Thanks to our partnership with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and federal support, we will soon deliver a fully converted battery-electric bus facility in Fairfax County,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said. “This project aligns with the county’s important goal of carbon neutral government operations by 2040 and is an investment in the region’s transit system and clean energy that will bring significant environmental and community benefits.”

The conversion design process is slated to begin later this year, with a projected opening coming in 2027-2028, according to WMATA’s transition plan. Read More

(Updated 10:30 a.m.) A ribbon will be cut today (Wednesday) on a new, affordable housing development in Hybla Valley.

The Residences at North Hill will get a ceremonial grand opening at 10 a.m. at 7250 Nightingale Hill Lane, hosted by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Expected speakers include Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay.

A family and senior housing development with mixed-income levels, the Residences at North Hill consist of 279 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments across five four-story buildings, according to Pennrose, which developed the project with the nonprofit Community Housing Partners Corporation.

The development includes one building of 63 apartments reserved for people aged 55 and older.

The apartments are priced at 30% to 60% of the area median income, which is “roughly $29,900 to $59,820 for a one-person household,” a media release from the Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs says.

Under construction since 2020, the project furthers the county’s goal set in 2022 to create 10,000 affordable housing units by 2034.

It demonstrates the county’s usage of “creative strategies” to ensure affordable housing “despite the current economic realities of high land prices, inflation, and other barriers to entry,” Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Direct Tom Fleetwood said by email.

“I believe housing for all is important to our vibrant, diverse and engaged community,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck told FFXnow by email. “Affordable, senior and market-rate homes are all important elements to ensure that everyone who wants to live in the Mount Vernon District can do so, one of my main goals with the redevelopment of the Richmond Highway Corridor.”

Spanning roughly 33 acres off of Richmond Highway (Route 1), the project is part of the Woodley-Nightingale Redevelopment area, now known as North Hill. The FCHRA first acquired 48 acres of the area in 1981, putting it at odds with residents of an existing mobile home park.

Part of the land was redeveloped as the Woodley Hills Estates mobile home community on Dart Drive, according to the county.

“The remaining 33 acres are now the vibrant, new mixed-income, mixed-tenure type intergenerational community the Richmond Highway needs and deserves,” Fleetwood wrote.

In addition to the 279 affordable apartments, the North Hill community includes 175 market-rate townhouses along Dart Drive, a 12-acre public park, playground and a recreational plaza.

The park, set to open later this summer, will offer parking, trails, an open lawn, basketball court, pickleball courts, picnic pavilion and fitness area. The public plaza, located at the corner of Richmond Highway and Dart Drive, features benches, a lawn, fitness equipment, ping pong and chess tables and a potential bus rapid transit station stop.

The proposed stop will be part of The One, the planned public bus system on Richmond Highway that aims to outpace traditional bus services with dedicated lanes and projects. The BRT is expected to be operational in 2030.

The county’s Embark Richmond Highway Comprehensive Plan “encourages future residential and commercial development around the proposed BRT stations so that residents and workers can walk to transit and other daily needs in a mixed use environment,” according to Fleetwood.

“The Bus Rapid Transit system is the catalyst for the revitalization of the Richmond Highway Corridor, from 70’s era development sprawl to a 21st century, modern, higher-density, transit focused, walkable, livable community,” Storck wrote.

On its project website, developer Pennrose notes that North Hill also provides residents easy access to public services, with banks, pharmacies, health care services and grocery stores located within half a mile of the site.

(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) A massive fire broke out last night (Monday) at the Rainwater Landfill on Richmond Highway in Lorton, occupying Fairfax County firefighters for hours.

As of 9 a.m., the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department remains on scene in the 9900 block of Richmond Highway after units were dispatched to a reported outside fire at 11:03 p.m.

The department reported at 5:47 a.m. that the fire had been contained, but smoke was still visible from Route 1 and I-95.

Given the size of the fire, it will be at least 24 hours before investigators can determine a cause, FCFRD spokesperson Ashley Hildebrandt told FFXnow.

“The fire was contained to the landfill,” Hildebrandt said, describing the site as an area for construction debris rather than a trash landfill.

Established in 1969, Rainwater Topsoil & Recycled Concrete provides mulch, soil, construction and other debris disposal services to Northern Virginia, according to its website.

The mulch section of the landfill appears to have been most affected, since the fire department says the site is “mainly logs & brush.”

“Due to the amount of smoke generated, HazMat units conducted atmospheric monitoring. All readings are within normal levels,” the FCFRD said at 12:25 p.m.

Around 11pm #FCFRD units responded to a landfill in the 9900 blk of Richmond Hwy in Lorton for reports of an outside fire. Crews are actively working to get the large volume fire under control & will be on scene for an extended period of time. Smoke is visible from Rte 1 & I-95. pic.twitter.com/d9sLBnKfuC

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) June 6, 2023

UPDATE 9900 Richmond Hwy: The fire is under control. The landfill is mainly logs & brush. Due to the amount of smoke generated, HazMat units conducted atmospheric monitoring. All readings are within normal levels. Crews to remain on scene to assist w/ extinguishment efforts. pic.twitter.com/0nDFtDB0nM

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) June 6, 2023

Fairfax County is working through a list of dozens of projects that could bring transportation infrastructure improvements to Richmond Highway (Route 1).

County planners plan to discuss the Richmond Highway Transportation Plan at virtual meetings tonight (Wednesday) and tomorrow (May 25).

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the Embark Richmond Highway Comprehensive Plan in 2018. As part of that approval, the board directed county transportation staff to develop a funding plan for improvements throughout the corridor.

So far, the recommended projects and conceptual designs in the corridor include missing links between sidewalks so residents can take advantage of planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations and existing shopping centers.

Branded “The One,” the BRT will include nine stations between Huntington Metro Station and Fort Belvoir.

Projects for additional sidewalks are below:

• North Gateway CBC sidewalks
• Huntington TSA sidewalks
• Penn Daw CBC sidewalks
• Hybla Valley/Gum Springs CBC sidewalks
• Beacon/Groveton CBC sidewalks
• South County CBC sidewalks
• Woodlawn CBC sidewalks

A second class of projects builds more streetscapes between Community Business Center (CBC) areas, largely through private developers. But a quarter of the projects are included in the funding plan in the event that small elements need to be built by the county:

• North Gateway Grid of Streets
• Penn Daw Grid of Streets
• Beacon/Groveton Grid of Streets
• Hybla Valley/Gum Springs Grid of Streets
• Woodlawn Grid of Streets

The final class of projects include a mix of pedestrian connections, paths and trails:

• Buckman Road Bike/Ped Improvements
• Dart Drive Bike/Ped Improvements
• South Kings Highway Bike/Ped Improvements
• Lukens Lane Bike/Ped Improvements
• Ashton-Grey Goose-Hybla Valley Trail
• Pole Road Shared Use Path
• Old Mill Road Shared Use Path
• Jeff Todd Way Shared Use Path
• Douglas Street-Derek Road Connector Trail
• Davis Street-Arlington Drive Connector Trail
• Sherwood Hall Lane Bike Lane
• Frye Road Bike/Ped Improvement
• Beacon Hill Road Spot Improvement

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation has also developed design concepts for bicycle lanes on Arlington Drive, Quander Road, Southgate Drive and Memorial Street. There are two options for the Arlington Drive lane: one that would provide curbside parking and a landscape panel on both sides of the street, and one that would provide them only on one side.

Tomorrow’s meeting runs from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday’s meeting takes place from noon to 1 p.m.

An 18-year-old man from Alexandria has been charged with reckless driving after allegedly crashing into a pedestrian on Richmond Highway in March, killing her.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m. on March 30, Luis Merino Berrios was driving south on Richmond Highway in a 2007 Mercedes C230 when he lost control near Groveton Street, a change from the originally reported location of Clayborne Avenue.

From the Fairfax County Police Department:

The driver of a 2017 Jeep Wrangler attempted to make a left turn from northbound Richmond Highway onto Groveton Street. Detectives determined Berrios was traveling at an excessive speed. He attempted avoidance maneuvers, lost control of his Mercedes, and struck the Jeep Wrangler. Berrios’s vehicle spun several times before leaving the roadway striking Samantha Jennings-Jones who was walking on the sidewalk.

Jennings-Jones was declared dead at the scene. She was 36.

Berrios was charged today (Thursday) and released on a summons, which means he’s still legally allowed to drive, the FCPD said.

Police said they didn’t have the exact speed Berrios was driving, but it was “excessive” for that section of Richmond Highway, which had a 45 mph speed limit.

Starting on Tuesday (May 23), the speed limit will be dropped to 35 mph in response to years of concerns about the roadway’s safety. Another pedestrian was killed on Route 1 just a week after Jennings-Jones died, and earlier this month, a motorcyclist was killed in the Lorton area.

According to her obituary, Jennings-Jones was working in the White House Office of the National Cyber Directorate when she died. She had a husband and two cats.

“Sam was a firm believer that friends are the family you choose, and she will be missed by the many friends and colleagues whose lives she touched and was such a big part of,” the obituary said.

Photo via Google Maps