As local leaders work to make Tysons more walkable, a big part of that push is going to involve keeping the sidewalks clear during snowstorms.

One day after the first snowstorm of 2019, Tysons seem to have mostly — but not entirely — met that goal.

While most of the roads are cleared by the Virginia Department of Transportation, Robin Geiger, head of communications for the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, says private organizations and individuals around Tysons are entirely to credit for the clear sidewalks.

“Neither VDOT nor the county clears snow and ice from public walkways (sidewalks and most trails),” Geiger wrote. “While not legally obligated, residents and businesses are asked to help keep sidewalks safe, when possible, by clearing snow off the sidewalks in front of their property so that all pedestrians, especially school children, those with disabilities and the elderly, may walk securely.”

“Homeowner associations may require members of their communities to clear the private walkways abutting their property,” she added.

According to Geiger, the only sidewalks cleared by the county are those outside county-operated facilities, like police stations, fire stations, libraries and community centers.

By early afternoon yesterday (Monday), many of the sidewalks near Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria were mostly or entirely cleared of snow. Undaunted by the cold, there were also a fair number of people taking advantage of the snow day to shop at both malls and other surrounding businesses.

Many of the outlying streets, like Jones Branch Drive, also had sidewalks on at least one side of the road clear, with some of the streets near residential developments remaining snow-covered. For many of the sidewalks on the fringes of Tysons, even those with a path through the snow are still covered with ice.

Geiger said if sidewalks in front of private property are not cleared by the owners or other private entities, the job falls upon Mother Nature.

“Many businesses, [homeowners associations], and residents clear sidewalks, but they are not required to by county ordinance,” said Geiger. “Some sidewalks do not get cleared during snow events.”

In Fairfax City, Falls Church, Alexandria and Arlington, ordinances do require business owners and residents to clear their sidewalks.

New Sidewalk Officially Open — The small stretch of sidewalk along Route 7 that officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday (Thursday) “is one more step in urbanizing Tysons, making it safer for pedestrians and hopefully reducing some vehicle traffic.” [WTOP]

Man May Have Filmed Dressing Rooms in Tysons — The man arrested for secretly filming a teenager in a dressing room at Fair Oaks Mall is believed to have also filmed dressing rooms at Tysons Corner Center between Dec. 15-24, according to Fairfax County Police. FCPD says some of the videos appear to show the dressing rooms at H&M and Old Navy at the Tysons mall. [WTOP, WJLA, Washington Post]

McLean Commander Wants More Cops — The McLean District police station “has 138 sworn officers,  at least 11 of whom must be on patrol duty during day shifts and at least nine on midnight shifts. [Capt. Alan] Hanson said one of his top priorities will be increasing staffing. In the next four or five years, he would like to add 24 officers and four supervisors to the station’s Tysons Urban Team, which now has nine officers and two supervisors.” [InsideNova]

WUSA 9 Back on Fios — After several days of being blacked out for Verizon Fios customers as a result of a fee dispute between Verizon and Tysons-based broadcaster Tegna, local CBS affiliate WUSA 9 has returned to the Fios lineup. [Washington Business Journal]

Foot by foot, Tysons is getting a little more walkable.

Tomorrow afternoon, Fairfax County will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for two new sidewalks along Leesburg Pike (Route 7) under Chain Bridge Road (Route 123). The new sidewalk connects the Pike 7 shopping center and The Boro development with the retail and restaurants west of the Tysons Corner Center mall.

According to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation press release:

The sidewalks are part of the Dulles corridor bicycle and pedestrian access improvements and provide enhanced pedestrian access along Leesburg Pike with 1,100 feet of sidewalk on the north side and 800 feet of sidewalk on the south side. These improvements were designed by the Fairfax County Department of Transportation; constructed by the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES); and funded under the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Locally Administered Project (LAP) program.

The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow and to be attended by several members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Sol Glasner, president and CEO of the Tysons Partnership.

The latest in a series of proposed sidewalks to make McLean more walkable is a pair of quarter-mile long sidewalks along Kirby Road near Chesterbrook.

One project, north of Chesterbrook, is planned to add a roughly 5-6 feet wide sidewalk with a curb and gutter along the south/east side of Kirby Road between Chesterbrook Road and Mori Street. A crude path currently exists along the roadside, though in parts it blends with the right shoulder lane.

A community meeting on the northern extension is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. in the Chesterbrook Elementary School cafeteria. The meeting will feature a presentation of the project’s preliminary design and offer the public a chance to ask questions and provide input.

The new sidewalk improvements will also include a pedestrian crossing and median refuge at the intersection with Mori Street, connecting the sidewalk to the shared use trail on the west side of Kirby Road.

To the south, the sidewalk will connect with an existing path separated from the road that leads into Chesterbrook neighborhood and shopping center along Old Dominion Drive. To the north, the new sidewalk won’t quite reach the Marie Butler Leven Preserve, but the park is accessible from the trail on the west side of the street.

A new sidewalk is also currently planned for Kirby Road on the other side of Chesterbrook, connecting Chesterbrook Elementary School to Halsey Road. Like the northern sidewalk, the southern extension covers a quarter-mile with a proposed 5-6 foot width.

At a Nov. 9 meeting on the southern Kirby Road sidewalk improvements, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation presented a plan that would include new concrete infrastructure improvements along the roadside. The white painted fences along Kirby Road may be removed and replaced during the construction.

The construction schedule for the north project is unknown, but the southern sidewalk extension is scheduled for final design in early 2019 and construction later that year.

Photo via Google Maps

McLean may not be as fully walkable as residents would like, but one stretch of road is stepping in the right direction.

According to a Twitter post by District Supervisor John Foust, construction finished last week on a new sidewalk along Dolly Madison Highway (Route 123) near downtown McLean.

Did you notice the construction along 123 near downtown #McLean? @fairfaxcounty just installed new sidewalk to complete an important missing link & provide safer pedestrian access to bus stop near Kurtz Rd. Coming soon ➡ filling the gaps along 123 between Old Dominion & Beverly. pic.twitter.com/hmmo4MznQ1

— John Foust (@johnfoustva) October 26, 2018

The sidewalk construction is part of a broader effort to install new walkways across McLean.

Foust said the new sidewalks are part of an effort to complete a missing link and provide safer pedestrian access to the bus stop near Kurtz Road.

According to Foust, the construction will continue with new sidewalks on Dolly Madison Highway between Old Dominion. A Sept. 25 update on transportation projects estimated the Kurtz Road area sidewalks to be fully completed next spring and cost $450,000.

Additional sidewalks further along Dolly Madison Boulevard will be completed later that summer, also costing $450,000.

Photo via Twitter

Tysons Reporter has put together a map and list of planned and ongoing transportation projects in McLean.

During their Sept. 25 meeting, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a status report on transportation projects throughout the County. Included in the report is an updated list of all ongoing and planned transportation projects.

McLean, part of the Dranesville District, begins on page 443. Most of the projects planned for McLean are new sidewalks, aligning with Fairfax County’s goals of making McLean more walkable.

Projects in the pre-construction phase are marked in blue. Projects currently undergoing construction or scheduled to begin in October are marked in red. Projects that have not begun their design process were not included.

In Pre-Construction:

• Intersection of Balls Hill Road and Old Dominion Drive: A project is currently being designed to make intersection improvements, including a potential roundabout and pedestrian facilities. The design process is expected to end in December. Land aquisition activities are underway to secure the land at the intersection for development. Current funding for the project is $200,000.
• Chesterbrook Road Sidewalks: Three small sidewalk extensions are planned along Chesterbrook Road in McLean. Project scoping and initial coordination for these projects are expected for summer 2019. Each walkway extension is priced at $1 million.
• Sidewalk on Georgetown Pike: 700 feet of a ten-foot wide sidewalk is planned for the east side of Georgetown Pike south of Colonial Farm Road. An additional 350 feet of five-foot wide sidewalk is planned for the east side of Route 123 and Potomac School Road. The project is currently undergoing land acquisition with construction beginning in April 2020. Current estimate of project cost is $1.3 million.
• Sidewalk on Idylwood Road: 200 feet of five-foot wide sidewalk is planned for Idylwood Road near Falls Church between Norwalk Street and Eastman Drive. Final design for the sidewalk is underway and expected to be completed by July 2019. Construction is scheduled to begin April 2020 and continue through October 2020. Current estimated cost of the project is $300,000.
• Kirby Avenue Sidewalks: 520 feet of sidewalk connecting Chesterbrook Elementary School to Halsey Road along the south side of Kirby Road. The project is currently in land acquisition with construction scheduled to begin in March 2019 and finish in December 2019. Three additional sidewalk projects are planned along Kirby Avenue.  The total project cost is estimated at $925,000.
• Lewinsville Road and Spring Hill Road Intersection: Improvements to the intersection in design and expected to be completed in December. The aim is to improve traffic flow and safety and add pedestrian crosswalks. All construction dates are still to be determined. The total project cost is estimated at $15.8 million.
• Magarity Road Sidewalk and Crosswalk: A new eight-foot wide sidewalk is planned for the south side Magarity Road near Tysons between Lusby Place and Peabody Drive and one new crosswalk. The project is still in design until November 2020. Total project cost is estimated at $2.3 million.
• Westmoreland Street and Rosemont Drive Bike Lanes: A 400-foot widening of Westmoreland Street to add bike lanes is currently in the design. Construction is expected to begin in November 2019 and finish in August 2020.

Under Construction:

• Baron Road Walkway from Dead Run Park Trailhead to Douglass Drive: Construction of a new sidewalk is underway along Douglass Drive where it insects the Dead Run Park Trailhead, including a new curb and gutter. Construction is expected to be finished this month. The project budget is $700,000.
• Birch Street Sidewalk: 700 feet of new sidewalk construction is planned for the west side of Birch Street from Grove Avenue to an existing sidewalk. Construction began in September and will continue until June 2019. The total funding the the project is currently $1 million, with an estimated total cost of $1.8 million.
• Chesterbrook Road Sidewalk: Utility relocation is currently ongoing for a five-foot concrete sidewalk on the south side of Chesterbrook Road. Construction on the project is expected to finish in April 2019.
• Sidewalks on Dolly Madison Boulevard: Construction started in September for two five-foot sidewalks along the south side of Dolly Madison Boulevard. The first length, from Chain Bridge Road to Kurtz Road, is estimated to be completed by May 2019 and cost $450,000. The second, from Old Dominion Drive to Beverly Avenue, is scheduled for completion in June 2019  and will cost $450,000.
• Kirby Road Sidewalk: A six-foot sidewalk on the north side of Kirby Road is beginning construction this month and is scheduled to finish August 2019. The total estimated cost is $1.75 million.

Photo via Fairfax County. Map via Google Maps