A new study of the Maple Avenue corridor shows Vienna’s most dangerous intersections and details extensive gaps in the town’s sidewalk network.

At an April 1 work session, the Vienna Town Council is scheduled to discuss the initial results of study by planning consulting firm Kimley-Horn.

The report also showed three major traffic crash hotspots calculated over three years: where Maple Avenue intersects with Nutley Street, Courthouse Road, and Park Street.

The study shows that while Maple Avenue has extensive sidewalk coverage, streets one block away like Windover Avenue and Glen Avenue on the west end or East Street and Mashie Drive at the east end of town are completely without sidewalks.

Church Street, another major street through the town, only has sidewalks on one side of the street between Park Street and Beulah Road.

In a finding that will surprise few Vienna residents, Maple Avenue is overcrowded. The report said daily traffic on the street topped 30,000 vehicles per day, on the high end of the study’s scale.

The street’s traffic density was worst between Nutley Street and Follin Lane, the main stretch through town.

Maple Avenue also sees high levels of bicycle traffic. It os ranked by the report at “level of traffic stress 4,” the highest category available, meaning that it is exceedingly uncomfortable and stressful for cyclists to use.

Nearly every major road feeding into the street, like Nutley Street and Park Street, as well as the aforementioned Church Street also saw high levels of car traffic and cyclist stress.

The I-495 Express Lanes are pushing north to the American Legion Bridge.

As part of a suite of new agreements signed between Virginia officials and Transurban, the private company that operates the express lanes. According to an announcement today from Gov. Ralph Northam’s office:

Four general purpose (GP) lanes and two new Express Lanes will run in each direction of the Capital Beltway starting from the current terminus near the Dulles Access Road and ending at the American Legion Bridge. With no public funding by the Commonwealth, the Express Lanes network will be extended to the Maryland border, helping address one of the worst bottlenecks in the region and reduce cut-through traffic in local McLean neighborhoods.

The express lanes have tolls that range from 20 cents per mile to $1.25 per mile during rush hour with no official cap. Cars with three or more people do not have to pay the toll.

The announcement follows Maryland’s $9 billion investment announced in 2017 that included toll lanes on the northern side of the bridge.

The area of McLean on the Virginia side of the American Legion Bridge has long been an infamous congestion hotspot. An average of 239,000 people use the bridge every workday, and Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust warned that the bridge is “grossly over capacity” and in dire need of expansion.

“I am delighted that Governor Northam and his team have found a way to expand capacity on I-495, heading up to the American Legion Bridge,” State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-31st District) said in a press release. “This improvement demonstrates Virginia’s commitment to easing traffic throughout the region and provides further incentives for Maryland to help address congestion on the Bridge.”

As part of the deal, Transurban agreed to construct a new southbound lane on I-95 near the Occoquan Bridge in the Woodbridge area, another infamous bottleneck for regional traffic.

Vienna is purchasing new electronic signs that won’t just tell drivers if they’re going over the speed limit — it can send thank you messages to drivers who are going under the limit.

At the Vienna Town Council meeting on Monday, the council approved the purchase of eight new “SpeedAlert” display signs and new traffic management equipment from Herndon-based All Traffic Solutions.

Michael Gallagher, Director of Public Works for Vienna, said new GPS and feedback options make SpeedAlert signs an improvement to the existing speed indicator signs.

“Besides just giving you speed feedback, they collect speed and volume data as well,” said Gallagher. “That allows them to make instantaneous reports. They’re much more powerful than the equipment we currently have.”

Gallagher says the machines can be programed to flash strobe-lights or red and blue lights as a warning to speeding drivers.

“Three of the signs are a little larger and can be used for message boarding,” said Gallagher. “They could have a message if you’re speeding to show down or thank drivers for going the speed limit.”

The new signs cost a total of $59,477 and will supplement the existing supply of speed indicator signs.

“On a per dollar basis, this might be one of the best expenditures we have in terms of responding to citizen concerns and getting them what they want,” said Councilmember Pasha Majdi.

The new signs, which can also display non-speeding-related messages such as safety warnings, were unanimously approved by the council.

Photo via Facebook

The Jones Branch Connector will be partially open, with one lane of traffic in each direction, starting next Sunday (Dec. 15).

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced the opening today, a slight delay from the earlier opening planned for Dec. 12.

The Jones Branch Connector links Route 123 and I-495, previously only connected at a congested interchange to the south of the project.

When it’s finished, the road will feature two travel lanes and on-street bike lanes in each direction. The road will also have 8-12 foot wide lighted sidewalks and a raised median to accommodate a future Tysons Circulator bus.

Final completion on the project is scheduled for next fall. By 2040, VDOT estimates the road will carry over 32,000 vehicles per day.

Photo via Virginia Department of Transportation

Big backups have formed on the Inner Loop of the Beltway due to a jackknifed tractor trailer.

The crash happened in the northbound lanes of I-495 between I-66 and Route 7, north of Merrifield. Two lanes of traffic appear to be getting by the crash scene, based on traffic camera images, but major backups have formed.

One person was reported injured and has been transported to a local hospital.

Units on scene of jack knifed tractor-trailer I495 NB Prior To Leesburg Pike. One person transported to area hospital. 3 main lanes closed on I495 NB due to crash. Only right lane is open. Unknown duration. @VSPPIO on scene. pic.twitter.com/ykya39bSIJ

— Fairfax Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 3, 2018

Sharp angles and poor line-of-sight make the Balls Hill Road and Old Dominion Drive intersection one of McLean’s worst road hazards.

But after rescheduling due to poor weather conditions, a community meeting will be held later this week to discuss drastic changes to the intersection. The meeting will be held this Wednesday (Nov. 28) at 7:30 p.m. in Cooper Middle School (977 Balls Hill Road).

The intersection is one of the most crash-heavy intersections in McLean, with 29 total crashes around the intersection from 2010-2015. More development planned for the area, including nearby subdivisions Mehr Farms and Summerstone, are likely to make road conditions worse.

But all three of the proposed intersection changes could have a negative impact on either the surrounding developments or other nearby traffic intersections.

According to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, there are several traffic alternatives being considered for the site:

• T-Intersection: This would solve queuing issues at the site while having a relatively small footprint. But this shift could also have an impact at the Balls Hill Road intersection with Dulany Hill Drive nearby.
• Roundabout: This would allow the intersection to maintain the historic look of the intersection and maintain the state standards of design at the lowest cost. But roundabouts have been shown to have a substantial learning curve for drivers. The intersection would also have to undergo significant topographical changes and it would impact three homes currently under construction at the Mehr Farms development.
• Dedicated Left Turn Lanes: This would be lower in cost than the T-Intersection and have a smaller footprint than the roundabout, but the turn onto Old Dominion Drive would be a quasi U-turn. The new turn lanes would also significantly impact the nearby Korean Presbyterian Church and the Mehr Farms development.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff will give a formal presentation at 7:45 p.m., followed by a question and answer period. Comments on the project can also be made online.

The planned intersection improvements are part of a broader series of transportation projects planned throughout McLean.

The day is here — the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest car travel days of the year.

More on just how bad traffic will be from AAA Mid-Atlantic:

Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. is virtually “Zero Hour” if you are traveling clockwise on the Capital Beltway when traffic speeds will be down to about 7 miles per hour (mph), as you crawl toward your Thanksgiving destination, according to projections by INRIX, in collaboration with AAA. Tuesday, the eve of Thanksgiving Eve, is also the absolute worst time to be caught on the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway, especially during the evening rush hour at 6:15 p.m. Here, travel delays will increase nearly 100 percent and travel speeds will drop to 23 miles per hour, as holiday travelers and commuters co-mingle and converge at one of the biggest bottlenecks in the Washington metro area.

Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday November 21, is the worst day and time to travel for holiday travelers taking Interstate 95 North, Interstate 270 North, and U.S. 50 East, according to data from INRIX. There are 15 freeway segments to eschew. Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic. Then there are the hotspots to circumvent and circumnavigate during the getaway period. […]

“With 1.2 million Washington area residents hitting the highways for the holiday, travel delays will become a contagion on area freeways and highways on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving Eve, as virtually everyone experiences a significant increase in travel times and traffic congestion,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “Holiday traffic, and any poor soul caught up in it, will creep, crawl and slither along. Given this, holiday travelers will be forced to add ‘extra buffer time’ to their trips to reach their Thanksgiving destinations on time.”

That brings us to our poll question: we’re wondering if Tysons Reporter readers will be heading out of town for holiday, despite the big traffic rush, or staying here. Also, while we’re at it, what about Christmas travel?

Regardless of whether you’re driving, flying or otherwise, let us know if you’re heading out of town for the holidays.

Table via AAA Mid-Atlantic

Despite some early morning setbacks, traffic around Tysons seems back to normal.

While there are road closures in other parts of the county, Fairfax County Police have reported no closures in the McLean Police District. As of 10 a.m. most roads through Tysons seem to be running smoothly — all things considered.

Police have warned that crashes are on the rise throughout Fairfax. Crashes have been reported near Merrifield, causing some congestion in the westbound lanes. A crash was also reported on Dulles Toll Road around 10:10 a.m., closing the north right lane and causing some congestion.

Earlier this morning, Twitter users reported express lanes near Tysons were closed and traffic was bumper to bumper.

@WTOPtraffic N Express Lanes exit to Baltimore/Tysons Corner closed! North bound Express Lane are bumper to bumper! pic.twitter.com/ViJMDU39Q5

— Nancy Parada (@louizze) November 15, 2018

Others warned that snow was sticking to the Beltway. Snow plows have since been spotted on traffic cameras working their way through Tysons streets.

Snow is sticking on the beltway and express lanes near Tysons Corner and no plows in sight. Awesome. @capitalweather @WTOP pic.twitter.com/75pozqPrX2

— Jess Jensen (@JessJensen1) November 15, 2018

Photo via Fairfax Police Department

(Updated at 6:50 p.m.) There’s skepticism in McLean about a plan to close Beltway access during weekday afternoons, but the McLean Citizens Association may vote to support a pilot phase for the project.

Tomorrow evening, the McLean Citizens Association (MCA) Board of Directors is scheduled to vote whether or not to endorse the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) pilot program for a controversial proposal to close the northbound ramp from Georgetown Pike onto the Beltway during evening rush hour.

The MCA Board of Directors meeting is open to the public and will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the McLean Government Center (1437 Balls Hill Rd).

The logic of the MCA’s resolution is that the four-month inconvenience of testing the closure is better than a more permanent change based on traffic model predictions alone. Among alternatives proposed by the MCA to closing access to the Beltway would be tolling the ramp.

The proposal stems from the heavy amount of cut-through traffic driving through the largely residential McLean streets to avoid traffic jams on the Beltway. The northbound ramp from Route 193 (Georgetown Pike) onto the Beltway in McLean is the last entrance before the American Legion Bridge, a major bottleneck for regional traffic.

The problem has been exacerbated by the rise of apps like Waze and Google Maps, which encourage Maryland commuters to use McLean streets as a shortcut, according to local residents.

VDOT’s proposed pilot program would close the northbound ramp from 1-7 p.m. on weekdays for a four-month trial, during which VDOT would collect data on whether the closure was successful in reducing cut-through traffic.

VDOT has previously held two meetings on the subject, during which most of the feedback was critical of the proposal. Residents in McLean and Great Falls said the proposal would force residents to take a more inconvenient route to access the Beltway.

The MCA’s resolution expresses support for the VDOT proposal on the grounds of testing the proposal rather than relying on traffic models alone. The resolution says that the testing the proposal as a pilot project would show the real-life impact of the change.

Also under consideration is an alternative proposal put forward by one member of the MCA, which calls for VDOT to halt all consideration of the project entirely.

Photo via Virginia Department of Transportation

The Balls Hill Road and Old Dominion Drive intersection can be a headache for anyone driving through McLean, but plans are underway to make major changes to the troublesome conjunction.

A meeting is scheduled for Thursday (Nov. 15) to update the public on the Balls Hill Road and Old Dominion Drive Realignment Project.

Currently, the road faces substantial queuing during rush hours, caused in part by poor intersection design and insufficient sight-lines for drivers at the intersection. Between 2010-2015 there were 29 total crashes in the vicinity of the intersection.

Two new by-right developments approved in the area, Mehr Farms and Summerstone, are likely to add more traffic to the already congested streets.

The improvements are part of a broader series of traffic projects underway across McLean.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in at Cooper Middle School (977 Balls Hill Road).

According to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, there are several traffic alternatives being considered for the site:

• T-Intersection: This would solve queuing issues at the site while having a relatively small footprint. But this shift could also have an impact at the Balls Hill Road intersection with Dulany Hill Drive nearby.
• Roundabout: This would allow the intersection to maintain the historic look of the intersection and maintain the state standards of design at the lowest cost. But roundabouts have been shown to have a substantial learning curve for drivers. The intersection would also have to undergo significant topographical changes and it would impact three homes currently under construction at the Mehr Farms development.
• Dedicated Left Turn Lanes: This would be lower in cost than the T-Intersection and have a smaller footprint than the roundabout, but the turn onto Old Dominion Drive would be a quasi U-turn. The new turn lanes would also significantly impact the nearby Korean Presbyterian Church and the Mehr Farms development.

The design is expected to be finalized this fall, with design and right-of-way acquisition occurring between 2019 and 2023. Construction on the traffic alternative is scheduled to start in spring 2023 and continue until fall 2024.