The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors plans to tackle traffic problems along Old Meadow Road as the Tysons One East project advances.
Yesterday, the board approved a rezoning request to increase the floor area ratio for a planned office tower near the McLean Metro station.
Akridge and the Ronald D. Paul Companies are plan to develop 1690 Old Meadow Road, a triangular spot between Dolley Madison Blvd and the Old Meadow Road, into a 15-story tower with Class A offices, restaurant, retail space, parking podium and outdoor terrace.
The development was held up by the acquisition of a public right-of-way.
“This application was filed on land area inclusive of VDOT right-of-way which was in the process of being acquired by the applicant,” according to county documents. “While VDOT on behalf of the Commonwealth concurred in the filing of the application, they generally will not sign the proffers, and would not in this case.”
Now that the right-of-way woes have been resolved, the county, developers and residents are trying to find ways to change the Old Meadow Road.
Scott Adams, the attorney with McGuireWoods who is representing the developer, said that the project includes a proffer for a traffic signal improvement at Colshire Meadow Drive and funds to build and improve roads in Tysons.
Amy Tozzi with the Old Meadow Coalition told the county officials during the public hearing yesterday that nearby residents have traffic and safety concerns that they worry won’t get addressed by the project.
“We understand all development is messy, but it shouldn’t imperil existing communities,” she said.
In response to Tozzi, Adams said that issues with the grid of streets in Tysons and accessing Old Meadow Road from Route 123 are too large for the project to address.
“Some of the concerns that they have are broader in scope than the smaller application we have,” he said.
As part of the board’s approval, county staff will work to create a plan to speed up transportation improvements to calm traffic along Old Meadow Road.
The changes could include:
- realigning the Old Meadow Road and Route 123 intersection
- constructing Lincoln and Roosevelt streets from Old Meadow Road to Magarity Road
- advance previously approved proffered transportation commitments like the traffic signal at the intersection of Old Meadow Road and Colshire Meadow Road and the Tysons East grid of streets
“In identifying improvements and solutions, staff should coordinate with stakeholders on Old Meadow Road, including residents and business owners and property owners,” according to county documents.
Image via One Tysons East
Editor’s note: Tysons Reporter will temporarily have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
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A meeting in McLean on the plans to extend the 495 Express Lanes is being rescheduled to a date in April, the Virginia Department of Transportation said.
The meeting was originally set for tonight (Thursday) at Langley High School.
VDOT announced the meeting’s postponement this morning, after saying yesterday that it would be live streamed and filmed.
Several residents raised concerns about the meeting earlier this week, worrying that it could increase the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
VDOT is planning to present the results of the 495 NEXT environmental study and traffic analysis, along with hearing feedback and questions from the public.
Currently, the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension project — a.k.a. 495 NEXT — would extend the 495 Express Lanes north from the I-495 and Dulles Access Road interchange up to the American Legion Bridge and add two new tolled express lanes in each direction.
“The meeting will be rescheduled for April,” VDOT said. “Details will be provided next week.”
People can submit comments either online, by email, by mail or at the future meeting.
Image via Google Maps
Updated 3/12/2020 — VDOT announced that the meeting will be postponed to a date in April.
Updated at 7:15 p.m. — A Dranesville District Supervisor email this evening says that the meeting will be live streamed.
Earlier: For people avoiding meetings to prevent the coronavirus, an upcoming meeting on the plans to extend the 495 Express Lanes will be filmed.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is set to present the results of the I-495 NEXT environmental study and traffic analysis on Thursday, March 12.
The meeting is scheduled to last from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Langley High School (6520 Georgetown Pike). People will have a chance to provide comments and ask questions after the presentation at 7 p.m.
VDOT said in an email today (Wednesday) that the video of the meeting will be available online starting Monday (March 16).
Currently, the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension project — a.k.a. 495 NEXT — would extend the 495 Express Lanes north from the I-495 and Dulles Access Road interchange up to the American Legion Bridge and add two new tolled express lanes in each direction.
People will have through April 15 to submit comments either online, at the public hearing, by email or by mail.
“Questions or requests for more information can be emailed to 495NorthernExtension@VDOT. virginia.gov, and a project representative will respond,” VDOT said.
VDOT said that the meeting would be rescheduled if Fairfax County Public Schools close. If inclement weather happens, the meeting would get moved to next Wednesday, March 18.
County officials celebrated the completion of the Jones Branch Connector today, calling it a vital new link to improve connectivity in Tysons.
The Virginia Department of Transporation (VDOT) and Fairfax County officials held a ribbon-cutting this morning (March 5) at the corner of Scotts Crossing Road and Capitol One Drive in Tysons.
The new half-mile roadway, called Scotts Crossing Road, runs between Jones Branch Drive and Route 123 over the Beltway and includes two lanes of traffic, a bicycle lane and an illuminated sidewalk for pedestrians in each direction, according to a VDOT press release.
“A wide, raised median is also reserved to accommodate future transit,” the press release said.
Though the $60 million price tag for such a short stretch of the road may seem high, Bill Cutler, the district construction engineer for VDOT, said that “it speaks to the complexity of the project.”
In the future, if Fairfax County decides that the overpass no longer makes sense for vehicle and pedestrian traffic, it is designed in such a way that construction crews will be able to strip the concrete and repurpose the project, for example, to become a trolley way, Cutler said.
For now though, “the project is expected to relieve traffic along Route 123, at the Route 123/I-495 interchange and other locations,” the press release said, adding that more than 32,000 vehicles are expected to use Scotts Crossing Road per day by 2040.
Speakers and guests at this morning’s ceremony included Dalia Palchik and Jeff McKay from the Board of Supervisors.
“This is part of our economic success plan,” Palchik, who represents the Providence District, said. “We know that if we don’t have connectivity [and] mobility, it will make things harder and harder for people to get around enjoy coming and going to work.”
Following up on Palchik’s statement, Cutler said that this new connection will allow people using different modes of transportation to more easily move between the communities and neighborhoods in Tysons.
The project, which was approved by the county in 2010, is the first one to be completed from the Tysons Comprehensive Plan Amendment, according to the press release.
Work on the project started in 2017, and in late 2018, one traffic lane opened in each direction. By January, all four travel lanes were open.
“Final detail work” is expected this month, but shouldn’t impact traffic, according to the press release.
“The completion of the Jones Branch Connector marks a milestone in our collaborative efforts to improve our transportation network to support the growth of Tysons,” McKay said. “This project helps us move more people more efficiently and continues to build upon a grid of streets that encourages the use of multi-modal transportation alternatives.”
We’re in #Tysons with our partners @fairfaxcounty @tysonspartners @vaexpresslanes to celebrate the Jones Branch Connector, a crucial new link for those traveling around Tysons 🚇🏃🚲🚗! Learn more: https://t.co/JEiy2ZYF79 pic.twitter.com/9AhlAQDEIH
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) March 5, 2020
The intersection of Westpark and Westbranch Drives in Tysons just became safer with new updates from the Virginia Department of Transporation, according to a press release.
The updates include new signage, pavement markers and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramp upgrades, the press release said.
The additions will also include four Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) crossings, which alert hearing-impaired pedestrians when it is safe to cross, according to the VDOT website. Though this feature isn’t operational yet, the press release said people can expect it to function within a few weeks.
More than 11,000 cars use this intersection on a daily basis, according to the press release.
Photo courtesy VDOT
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said he’s supportive of plans to extend the express lanes on I-495, but has major concerns about the timing of the project with Maryland’s piece.
The I-495 Northern Extension Project would expand express lanes from the Dulles Toll Road to the George Washington Memorial Parkway, replace overpasses and noise walls and add a shared-use path. The project could save drivers up to 25 minutes during peak-hour commute times, according to the presentation given at the meeting.
Toll revenues are expected to support the cost of the project, according to the presentation.
Maryland is currently evaluating its options to rebuild and widen the American Legion Bridge, Susan Shaw, from the Virginia Department of Transportation, told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Preliminarily, construction could start on Virginia’s portion of the project in 2021 and take three years to finish, Shaw said.
“Obviously, solving the congestion issues at the American Legion bridge are just absolutely essential that we do that,” Foust said at the Transportation Committee meeting on Tuesday. “This project doesn’t solve the congestion problems.”
While Foust said that the project is a “necessary piece of the puzzle that will do that,” he said that most of the relief will come from increasing capacity and widening the Beltway from Maryland.
Foust said he thinks it would be a “huge mistake” to start the Virginia part of the project before it can get aligned with Maryland’s timeframe.
“Timing is everything here,” Foust said. “You’ve got to get this coordinated better with what they’re doing in Maryland or a bad situation is going to get worse.”
A public meeting on the project is set for March 12 at Langley High School (6520 Georgetown Pike) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Public comments will be accepted through March 30, although Shaw said the public can reach out anytime after that.
“You want to extend the express lanes, but that’s not a good enough public purpose reason for doing this,” Foust said.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is gearing up to study Shreve Road in the Falls Church area.
The Shreve Road Community Working Group announced yesterday (Tuesday) that VDOT identified funding for the study.
“VDOT is in the process of scoping a planning study on Shreve Road between Lee Hwy (Route 29) and Leesburg Pike (Route 7),” Jennifer McCord, a VDOT spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter. “This study will follow up on the recently completed speed study, seek community input and identify potential improvements along the corridor.”
The study is expected to start in the spring and take about six to 10 months, McCord said.
“The cost of the study is still being finalized, but these studies typically run between $50,000 and $100,000,” McCord said.
“As part of the project, a traffic engineering consultant from VDOT will review Shreve Road from Route 29 (Lee Highway) to Route 7 (Leesburg Pike), obtain input from local residents, and identify possible safety and traffic solutions,” according to the working group.
The working group has been advocating for efforts to improve the road after a fatal hit and run near the intersection of Shreve Road and Hickory Street in August.
“The Shreve Group has prioritized the need for pedestrian infrastructure so that children can safely access Shrevewood Elementary School, and cyclists and pedestrians can securely approach crossings for the W&OD trail,” according to the group. “The Shreve Group has also highlighted the dangers at multiple 90-degree turns along the road.”
Back in December, the working group held a town hall with elected officials to address safety concerns along the road, which runs through Fairfax County and the City of Falls Church.
Earlier last fall, VDOT reduced the speed limit from 35 to 30 miles per hour from Leesburg Pike (Route 7) to Wieland Place. At the town hall, several attendees called for lowering the speed limit.
Following the town hall, VDOT sent a letter to Del. Marcus Simon (D-53rd) on Jan. 6 saying that Fairfax County’s transportation department received a grant for pedestrian improvements around Shrevewood Elementary School and that VDOT is working with Fairfax County.
“[VDOT is] also in contact with the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority, regarding their plans to possibly redesign their roadway crossings of the Washington and Old Dominion(W&OD) Trail,” the letter says.
Image via Google Maps
Construction work on the Jones Branch Connector is set to finish this spring.
The bridge over I-495 connects the North Central and Tysons East neighborhoods and is undergoing a $60 million project that will add two travel lanes and on-street bike lanes in each direction.
The two travel lanes in each direction have opened already, Mike Murphy, a Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter.
Now, the bike lanes and sidewalks are left.
“Weather permitting, the bicycle lanes and sidewalks will open to traffic within the next couple months,” Murphy told Tysons Reporter.
The project is still on track for spring 2020 completion, Murphy said.
Work is set to start on Friday to rehabilitate the Chain Bridge Road (Route 123) bridges over Leesburg Pike (Route 7).
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced today that drivers can expect lane closures on both routes mostly during the night for the next several days.
The schedule is:
- Sunday-Thursday: 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- Friday: 10 p.m. to 9 a.m.
- Saturday: 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
State and federal State of Good Repair funding is paying for the $2.5 million project, according to VDOT. Construction is slated to finish in late 2020 and includes:
- repairing and resurfacing the concrete bridge decks
- repairing the bridge piers, abutments and bearings
- painting the steel bridge beams
- repaving Route 123 adjacent to the bridges
Once completed, VDOT says that the northbound and southbound bridges will be safer for drivers and pedestrians and lengthen the lifespan of the bridges, which were built in 1965.
“At the bridges, Route 123 averages up to 30,000 vehicles a day and Route 7 averages up to 86,000,” according to VDOT.
Photo courtesy VDOT
