Falls Church and Fairfax County officials are collaborating on street upgrades on the Route 29 (S. Washington Street) corridor.
The city’s Planning Department and Department of Public Works are participating in the effort, working with their Fairfax counterparts as the county’s Route 29 Active Transportation Study moves forward.
“Staff and members of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation have attended two community meetings,” with “staff attending several stakeholder meetings,” city officials told ARLnow.
The study examines Route 29 from S. Maple Avenue in Falls Church west to the Capital Beltway. The eastern third of that scope includes the portion of Route 29 straddling the city/county line.
County transportation-planning staff have laid out three broad alternatives for addressing ways to modernize the corridor:
- Option A: Focusing on intersection improvements
- Option B: Focusing primarily on updates to roads and sidewalks
- Option C: Focusing mainly on upgrades to service roads
A May 19 community forum drew attendees from both the city and county.
“It was a great meeting with some good conversation with the community,” Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) spokesman Benjamin Boxer told ARLnow.
To support the planning effort, county transportation officials have opened a new online community survey, running through June 30 and open to all local residents. There also will be an online community meeting conducted in Spanish on Wednesday, June 10 at 7 p.m.
The May 19 presentation laid out how each of the three options would play out in the corridor’s various segments.
No specific dollar figures were attached to the options, but FCDOT staff noted which would be relatively inexpensive and which would be more costly.
Planners also discussed results from an online survey conducted in November and December, which drew more than 600 responses.
Improvements to sidewalks and crosswalks drew the most interest among respondents. Responses also discussed action on roads and bicycle facilities, adding trails or shared-use paths, improving the tree canopy and finding ways to lower speeding.
Some respondents opposed widening the roadway, fearing it would increase speed and dangerous conditions.
Other input will be accepted through June 30 in the current round of engagement. Current plans call for the next round to take place in the fall, followed by the publication of a preferred concept design for improvements.
While Fairfax County is leading overall improvements, Falls Church officials are moving forward to expand bus-stop facilities and improve transit access within the city’s portion of the Route 29 corridor.
The project, included in the city’s capital improvement plan and currently in the design phase, has received federal funding, with construction work expected in 2029. It “will add new bus shelters, safer crosswalks and lighting, and upgraded traffic signals between Cameron Road and Jackson Street,” city officials told ARLnow.
“The city will continue working with the county as both projects move forward,” Falls Church officials said.
Photo (1) via Google Maps
