TRAFFIC-CALMING EFFORTS APPROVED: BY FAIRFAX SUPERVISORS: The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors was slated May 21 to approve traffic-calming initiatives in two Dranesville District locations.
The proposals, to be undertaken as part of the Residential Traffic Administration Program, include:
• Installation of “$200 Additional Fine for Speeding” signs along Sugarland Road between the Fairfax County Parkway and Leesburg Pike in the Herndon/Great Falls area. This proposal’s $500 cost will be financed via the Virginia Department of Transportation’s secondary-road-construction budget.
• Implementation of two speed bumps along Lisle Avenue. One will be placed adjacent to 7404 and 7405 Lisle Ave., the other next to 7503 Lisle Ave., and a Fairfax County Public Schools property in the Pimmit Hills area. This $40,000 project will be paid for using county funds.
FAIRFAX SEEKS FEDERAL GRANTS FOR LOW-EMISSION BUSES: The Fairfax County Department of Transportation will apply for $128.1 million in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to purchase 72 low-emission buses for the Fairfax Connector service, following approval May 7 from the Board of Supervisors.
Fairfax County officials will seek up to $71.1 million in grant funds from USDOT’s Buses and Bus Facilities Program and up to $57 million through the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission Grant Program.
The Buses and Bus Facilities Program requires a 20-percent local match and the county government’s fiscal 2025 budget, also set to be adopted May 7, includes local funding and state aid to cover that $14.2 million expense. No additional general-fund dollars would be needed, county officials said.
The new buses – all of which will be outfitted with NextGen fareboxes, to be purchased in fiscal 2025 will include 24 ultra-low-emission, next-generation hybrids capable of operating in battery-only mode for set distances, and a dozen 30-foot-long diesel buses, which are intended to replace vehicles of similar size that are not available in hybrid versions.
In fiscal 2026, provided the grant funds have been received, the county will purchase 36 more next-generation hybrid buses.
ROUTE 7 BOTTLENECK EASED FOLLOWING $314 MILLION VDOT PROJECT: Commuters who have been navigating construction zones along a nearly 7-mile stretch of Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) between Tysons and Reston in recent years now have something to cheer about.
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced May 1 that three travel lanes are now open in each direction on Route 7 between Reston Avenue and the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267). The completion of that work means a total of six travel lanes are available continuously for 20 miles between Leesburg and Tysons.
The new eastbound and westbound lanes on about 5 miles of Route 7 between Riva Ridge Drive and Jarrett Valley Drive are open to traffic three months ahead of schedule as part of the Route 7 Corridor Improvements Project, VDOT officials said.
The third eastbound and westbound lanes on nearly 2 miles of Route 7 between Reston Avenue and Riva Ridge Drive opened to traffic in 2022.
Bicyclists and pedestrians also now may use the new shared-use paths on both sides of the entire 7-mile stretch of Route 7 between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive.
Those paths tie into ones on Route 7 beyond the eastern and western limits of the project and provide a direct bicycle/pedestrian connection from the Fairfax County Parkway Trail to Tysons.
Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail users also now have a new route under the Difficult Run bridge to cross Route 7 safely, officials said.
The improvements from Reston Avenue to Jarrett Valley Drive included:
• Widening Route 7 from four to six lanes.
• Improving access management at 19 intersections.
• Adding shared-use paths along both sides of Route 7.
• Replacing the bridge over Difficult Run.
• Reconstructing the Lewinsville Road intersection with the displaced left-turn lane from eastbound Route 7 to Lewinsville Road.
• Building a new pedestrian underpass at Colvin Run Mill Park.
Route 7 averages about 50,000 vehicles per day within the project limits, VDOT officials said. The $313.9 million project is financed with federal, state (including Smart Scale), Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and Fairfax County funding.
