transportation planning | FFXnow

Officials weigh options for safer Lee Chapel Road, as community calls for more action after fatal crash

Published January 19, 2023 at 9:30AM

Optical speed bars intended to slow down drivers have been installed on Lee Chapel Road in Fairfax Station (via Pat Herrity/Twitter)

Calls for safety improvements on Lee Chapel Road in Fairfax Station have resurfaced in the wake of last week’s car crash that killed two teens and put a third in the hospital.

As an online petition urging Fairfax County to prioritize regular maintenance and new safety features surpassed 12,000 signatures, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity — who represents the area — met with state and county transportation staff to discuss short, mid and long-term options for addressing long-standing safety concerns.

Countywide

Cut-through traffic policy update could help county residents access their homes during rush hour

By Vernon Miles

Published January 12, 2023 at 11:45AM

As Fairfax County starts expanding its efforts to curtail cut-through traffic clogging up neighborhood streets, a new corollary could allow local residents to skirt those limits.

Currently, there are three neighborhoods around the county with cut-through mitigation restrictions. Those restrictions involve signs that prohibit turns into those neighborhoods from major transit corridors during the morning and/or evening rush hours.

News

New sidewalk improvements planned at Spring, Locust streets in Herndon

By Fatimah Waseem

Published January 11, 2023 at 2:15PM

Town of Herndon government offices (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Sidewalk improvements are in the works for two streets in the Town of Herndon.

Included as part of the town’s long-range capital projects planning tool — the Capital Improvement Program — the town is planning a series of sidewalk improvements on Spring and Locust streets, each of which will cost over $1 million overall.

Countywide

County seeks feedback on reductions in parking requirements, overhaul of policy

By Fatimah Waseem

Published January 10, 2023 at 11:45AM

A sign warns about parking tickets in a lower Springfield Plaza parking lot (staff photo by David Taube)

Parking requirements in Fairfax County — which are getting their first major overhaul since 1988 — are set for public hearings later this year.

The multi-year effort — coined Parking Reimagined — is the focus of an open house coming this week.

News

McLean group urges county to fund West Falls Church Metro pedestrian upgrades

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 6, 2023 at 10:15AM

Haycock Road bridge over I-66 (via Google Maps)

A proposed shared-use path on Haycock Road over I-66 is among several pedestrian and bicycle projects in the West Falls Church Metro station area that the McLean Citizens Association believes Fairfax County should prioritize for funding.

The organization, which routinely weighs in on issues affecting the greater McLean area, approved a resolution on Wednesday (Jan. 4) endorsing 19 projects recommended by an advisory group that the county convened to study the West Falls Church Transit Station Area’s (TSA) active transportation infrastructure.

News

Town of Herndon seeks funds for East Elden Street widening, trails

By Fatimah Waseem

Published December 29, 2022 at 11:45AM

The project is expected to cost around $57 million (Photo courtesy VDOT).

Two major transportation projects in the Town of Herndon are vying for regional funding.

The Town of Herndon is seeking up to $1.5 million from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for street improvements and a widening of East Elden Street, along with up to $750,000 for improvements to town-wide sidewalks and trails.

Countywide

Fairfax County could put bicycles and transit on par with cars when gauging transportation needs

By Vernon Miles

Published December 16, 2022 at 11:45AM | Updated March 24, 2023 at 2:41PM

The announcement took place at a busy intersection in Reston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

When new development comes up for review in Fairfax County, one of the first questions often asked is “how will this impact vehicle traffic?”

A proposed shift in Fairfax County’s analysis could change that and put more emphasis on alternative modes of transportation.

News

NEW: A pedestrian crossing on Route 123 from Tysons Corner Center is in the works

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 13, 2022 at 1:30PM

The intersection of Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) and Tysons Blvd outside Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Talks are underway to design a street-level crossing across Route 123 at Tysons Blvd, a daunting challenge that would — at least in theory — improve access to Tysons Corner Center for pedestrians, bicyclists and others.

Fairfax County, the Virginia Department of Transportation and Macerich, the mall owner and developer, are currently hashing out an agreement for the crossing as an alternative to the existing pedestrian bridge that links the mall’s plaza to the Tysons Metro station on the other side of Route 123, also known as Chain Bridge Road.

News

Tysons Bikeshare stations may be shuffled from office to residential sites

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 12, 2022 at 1:30PM

Two parking spaces on Chain Bridge Road near Kingston at McLean Crossing could be replaced by a Capital Bikeshare station (via Fairfax County)

Much has changed in the landscape of Tysons and people’s travel habits since Capital Bikeshare first pulled into town in 2016.

As a result, Fairfax County plans to relocate some of the bicycle-sharing company’s 15 established stations in the area to new spots that better accommodate Tysons’ growing residential population and the rise of remote work accelerated by the pandemic.

News

Here’s where the new Huntington and Franconia Capital Bikeshare stations could go

By Matt Blitz

Published December 8, 2022 at 3:00PM

The soon-to-be location of a new Capital Bikeshare station on Fort Drive in Huntington (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

Fairfax County is adding seven Capital Bikeshare electric bicycle stations in the Franconia District, splitting them between the Franconia/Springfield Metro station and the Huntington transit station area.

Last week, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) held a public meeting where it laid out its plan for the expansion of the Capital Bikeshare program in the Franconia District.