transportation planning

Published November 6, 2026 at 9:15AM

Pedestrians crossing Strawberry Lane at Eskridge Road in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is preparing to start work on more than a dozen infrastructure projects aimed at making roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized travelers.

The department announced yesterday (Thursday) that it has finalized a list of 16 planned crosswalks, sidewalks, pedestrian signals and other improvements after soliciting public input this spring and securing $9.9 million in funding authorized by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 25.

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Vienna reopens case for traffic signal outside Madison High School

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 26, 2026 at 10:00AM

The HAWK signal on Maple Avenue at James Madison Drive (photo by Amy Woolsey)

Town of Vienna staff received a green light earlier this month to revisit the possibility of installing a traffic signal on Maple Avenue outside James Madison High School.

The Vienna Town Council voted unanimously at its Oct. 5 meeting to award a purchase order to the consultant Rinker Design Associates for a signal justification report that will determine whether to replace the existing High Intensity Activated Crosswalk or HAWK signal at the James Madison Drive intersection.

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Va. transportation head pledges more cooperative approach to revamped I-495 Southside project

By Scott McCaffrey

Published October 23, 2026 at 8:30AM

Traffic heading west on I-495 in Alexandria near South Van Dorn Street (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Virginia’s top transportation official hopes to get regional buy-in on the controversial I-495 Southside proposal early next year.

“This is a really, really important project,” Virginia Secretary of Transportation Nick Donohue said at a meeting on Wednesday (Oct. 21) of the region’s Transportation Planning Board (TPB).

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FCDOT proposes new bike lanes, crosswalks for road restriping program

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 22, 2026 at 8:30AM

Bowman Towne Drive at the Fountain Drive intersection in Reston (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County is proposing to add on-road bicycle lanes and crosswalks to a number of streets as part of the state’s annual repaving and restriping program.

Virtual meetings to gather public input on the proposed locations will be held in early November before a final list is sent to the Virginia Department of Transportation, which typically conducts paving work from April to December.

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FCDOT recommends changes to make Route 29 safer in West Falls Church

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 20, 2026 at 1:45PM

Route 29 near Lawrence Drive and the National Funeral Home and Memorial Park cemetery in West Falls Church (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is recommending a number of improvements that it hopes will make the West Falls Church segment of Route 29 safer for all travelers, especially pedestrians and bicyclists.

Community members attending a public meeting at Timber Lane Elementary School last Wednesday (Oct. 14) generally seemed to embrace the proposed changes, which include new sidewalks, a shared-use path, and crosswalks, but some lamented the project’s limited scope and undefined timeline.

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Fairfax leaders hopeful two-way I-95 toll lanes plan can fix ‘biggest mistake’ in Va. highways

By Scott McCaffrey

Published September 25, 2026 at 10:00AM

Backup on I-95 corridor with Express Lanes in center (via Transurban/Virginia Department of Transportation)

Fairfax County leaders have reacted favorably to a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) proposal for expanding Express Lanes on I-95 to reduce traffic bottlenecks.

VDOT officials sketched out their plan on Tuesday (Sept. 22) for converting the existing reversible I-95 Express Lanes, which can be used only in one direction at a time, into a bidirectional network running 45 miles from Fairfax south to Spotsylvania County.

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VDOT returns with revised plan for I-495 Southside Express Lanes

By Scott McCaffrey

Published September 24, 2026 at 10:00AM

I-495 heading west near Alexandria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

State transportation leaders are back with a new plan for extending the I-495 Express Lanes on the highway’s south side that they hope will win buy-in from leaders on both sides of the Potomac River.

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officials briefed the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Transportation Committee on Tuesday (Sept. 22) on a revamped design that would allow both for Express Lanes and future Metrorail service on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

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Fairfax City moves forward with University Drive bicycle lane project

By Acacia James

Published September 15, 2026 at 10:00AM

The University Drive and North Street intersection in Fairfax City (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax City is moving ahead with a plan to add bicycle lanes on University Drive, north of Old Town.

The Fairfax City Council unanimously approved awarding a $725,551 contract to Arthur Construction Company Inc. to construct the bike lanes during a meeting last Tuesday (Sept. 8). The project calls for parts of the roadway to be reduced to make room for the proposed changes.

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Vienna to redesign ‘challenging’ Lawyers and Church street intersection

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 10, 2026 at 1:45PM

Looking south down Lawyers Road NW at the Church Street NW intersection in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A heavily used but awkward intersection at the heart of Vienna’s commercial corridor could get an overhaul in the coming years.

Despite some qualms about an initial concept design, the Vienna Town Council voted unanimously at its Aug. 24 meeting to enlist an engineering firm to start work on a reconfiguration of the Church Street NW and Lawyers Road NW intersection.

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Pedestrian improvements, Metro wayfinding signs unveiled in Tysons

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 28, 2026 at 10:00AM | Updated August 28, 2026 at 10:24AM

New wayfinding sign at the McLean Metro station near Capital One Center (courtesy Tysons Community Alliance)

Pedestrians in Tysons still have to contend with heavy traffic on routes 123 and 7, but a few changes recently implemented by the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) will hopefully make parts of the urban center easier to navigate.

Last week, the community improvement organization announced that it has completed a redesign of the Westwood Center Drive and Cornerside Blvd intersection near the Tysons West shopping center, adding a crosswalk, sidewalk, painted road median and other improvements.