VDOT | FFXnow - Part 6

Published April 9, 2025 at 1:15PM

Enterprise Avenue at Dewberry Court in McLean remains snowy and icy on Jan. 8, 2025 (courtesy Jennifer Myers)

Fairfax County supervisors piled on the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) yesterday, criticizing the agency’s response to the Jan. 6-7 snowstorm — and what local leaders saw as a seeming indifference to concerns raised about it.

“You failed miserably, [and] it doesn’t seem to me you have a plan to go forward. All you have are excuses, and I don’t want to hear excuses,” Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez said during a Tuesday (April 8) meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Transportation Committee.

News

Transportation authorities to lay out plans for new road diets and bike lanes around Fairfax

By Vernon Miles

Published April 2, 2025 at 2:30PM

Repaving work (photo via Michael Evans/Unsplash)

Break out the reflective vests and get ready to take the kids to get their pictures with Work Zone Willy: it’s repaving season in Fairfax County.

This year, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) are planning various changes for roads around the county, from multiple road diets to crosswalks and bicycle lanes.

News

Old trail controversy stumps new Fairfax City Council

By Vernon Miles

Published March 25, 2025 at 10:30AM

Rendering of planned George Snyder trail extension (via City of Fairfax)

The current Fairfax City Council, like those that came before it, is trying to thread the needle on a planned trail that’s proving contentious.

One year after the Fairfax City Council failed to find a consensus on alternatives for the long-planned completion of the George Snyder Trail, mostly new council members remained similarly divided at a March 11 work session, with most leaning against the project.

News

NOW: Vehicle fire closes I-66 West near Vienna, sends one to hospital

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 24, 2025 at 2:30PM

A collision between a truck and a sedan led to a fire on I-66 West prior to Nutley Street (via FCFRD/Facebook)

A truck caught fire after colliding with a sedan on I-66 in the Vienna area earlier this afternoon (Monday), requiring a shutdown of all westbound lanes.

Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to I-66 West prior to Nutley Street for the crash around 1:15 p.m., per scanner traffic.

News

Vote deferred on redevelopment of AT&T office campus in Oakton

By Scott McCaffrey

Published February 28, 2025 at 9:45AM

Rendering of a retail-lined main street in the proposed AT&T campus redevelopment in Oakton (courtesy EYA)

Unresolved issues ranging from traffic and pedestrian safety to parks, schools and overall density led the Fairfax County Planning Commission to defer action on Wednesday (Feb. 26) on a key step toward the redevelopment of the former AT&T site in Oakton.

The 33-acre parcel at the intersection of Chain Bridge Road (Route 123) and Jermantown Road is one of several contiguous plots of land expected to be redeveloped in coming years as part of the 110-acre Flint Hill Suburban Center planning district.

News

Proposal to redevelop AT&T offices ignites new look at Oakton road conditions

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2025 at 9:00AM

A rendering of EYA's proposed AT&T office site redevelopment from Chain Bridge Road (via Fairfax County)

Everyone seems to agree that Oakton’s roadways are untenable for drivers as well as pedestrians and cyclists, especially in light of recent fatal crashes.

The dividing line between supporters and skeptics of a proposed overhaul of AT&T’s office campus and other mixed-use developments in the area has become whether they believe the impending projects will alleviate or exacerbate the current congested, hazardous status quo.

Countywide

JUST IN: FCPS to open on two-hour delay Thursday due to icy weather

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 5, 2025 at 3:55PM | Updated February 5, 2025 at 4:12PM

The surface of Wolftrap Creek turned to ice after snowstorms in January 2025 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County Public Schools will clear school grounds early tonight (Wednesday) and start classes late tomorrow (Thursday) in anticipation of some wintry weather.

FCPS announced that all activities on school grounds, including sports practices and extracurricular activities, must wrap up by 9 p.m. In addition, schools will start on a two-hour delay tomorrow with a mix of snow and sleet expected to freeze overnight.

News

More demolitions planned along Richmond Highway as Bus Rapid Transit project ramps up

By James Jarvis

Published January 24, 2025 at 1:15PM

Residents attend an in-person update on the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project at the Gerry South Hyland Government Center on Jan. 15, 2025 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County is ramping up property demolitions in anticipation of its long-planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system along Richmond Highway.

Transportation officials shared during an in-person public meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 15 that nine buildings have already been cleared to make way for the project. Another 21 demolitions are scheduled by the end of 2025 as the county works to prepare the corridor for utility relocations in 2026 and eventual construction in 2028.

News

Bridge construction will close I-495 North lanes near Tysons this weekend

By Jared Serre

Published January 21, 2025 at 9:00AM

Map of road closures on I-495 North in late January (via VDOT)

If you’re thinking about taking the Capital Beltway near McLean this weekend, you might want to reconsider that plan.

Starting on the night of Friday, Jan. 24, four of the six northbound lanes on I-495 will be shut down for one mile from the Route 7 interchange (Leesburg Pike) in Tysons to Lewinsville Road in McLean to accommodate construction.

Countywide

VDOT’s snowstorm cleanup gets critical reviews from Fairfax County board

By Scott McCaffrey

Published January 14, 2025 at 2:30PM | Updated January 14, 2025 at 6:33PM

Snow and ice cover Rupert Street in McLean on Jan. 8, 2025 (courtesy Jennifer Myers)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is seeking answers to what it feels was an inadequate response to last week’s Jan. 6 snowstorm by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

“Planning, execution and communication fell far short of the service level that our residents demand and deserve,” supervisors said in a joint board matter adopted at the governing body’s meeting today (Tuesday).