NVTA's Long-Range Plan Includes 19 Projects Impacting Fairfax City

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Northern Virginia Transportation Authority adopted its long-range transportation plan on Thursday. The adoption was the final step in a two-year public engagement process to prioritize transportation funding in Northern Virginia.

The TransAction plan identifies 424 multimodal projects aimed at enhancing Northern Virginia's transportation infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the region.

The projects identified in the TransAction plan account for an estimated $75 billion in potential investments through 2045.

NVTA will use the TransAction plan to inform its decisions in implementing the Six Year Program for regional revenue funding.

View a full list of projects in NVTA's updated TransAction plan.

The 12 following projects in the City of Fairfax are included in the TransAction plan NVTA adopted on Thursday:

• Old Town Multimodal Improvements: Implement multimodal improvements; improve intersection and local connections; and improve transit within Old Town.
• Main Street/Route 236 Multimodal Improvements: Implement multimodal improvements; improve intersection and local connections; and improve transit along Route 236 within Old Town.
• Blake Lane/Pickett Lane Multimodal Improvements: Implement multimodal improvements; improve intersection and local connections; and improve transit service along Blake Lane/Pickett Lane.
• Fairfax Boulevard Multimodal Improvements: Implement multimodal improvements and local connections along Fairfax Boulevard.
• Jermantown Road Multimodal Improvements: Implement multimodal improvements and local connections along Jermantown Road. This project includes widening Jermantown Road to four lanes south of the I-66 bridge, as well as an extension of Government Center Parkway.
• Route 123 Multimodal Improvements: Implement multimodal improvements; improve intersections and local connections; and improve transit service along Route 123. This project includes intersection improvements at Eaton Place and Route 123.
• Old Lee Highway Multimodal Improvements: Implement multimodal improvements and local connections along Old Lee Highway.
• Fairfax Citywide Pedestrian/Bicycle Access: Improve on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities along and adjacent to the City of Fairfax corridors. This project seeks to improve access to the Vienna-Fairfax-GMU Metrorail Station and regional trials, as well as expand bike sharing and storage.
• Northfax Network Improvements: Improve connection s and circulation of all modes of transportation near the Northfax intersection. This includes improvements to and along Fairfax Boulevard in the are of the Northfax intersection, the extenstion of University Drive, and improvements to Eaton Place.
• Fairfax Circle Intersection Improvements: This project would add intersection improvements at Fairfax Circle to improve the flow and safety of vehicle and bicycle traffic.
• Northfax Intersection Improvements: This project includes the extension of a third northbound lane on Route 123 from Route 29/Route 5o to Eaton Place; the edition of a dual left-turn land from southbound Route 123 to eastbound Route 29/Route 50; and correct substandard existing lane shifts.
• City of Fairfax Transit Enhancements: Upgrade and construct transit stops and shelters on CUE Bus routes

In addition to the projects within Fairfax City, the TransAction plan includes the following seven projects that will address transportation improvements to the area just outside of the city:

• High-Capacity Transit Extension from Vienna Metrorail Station to Centreville: This project aims to improve the transit connection along the corridor between the Vienna-Fairfax-GMU Metrorail Station to Centreville to include Metrorail, LRT, BRT, or improved bus service.
• Route 5o Widening: This project would widen Arlington Boulevard/Route 50 to six lanes between the City of Fairfax and Arlington County.
• Little River Turnpike Widening: This project would widen Little River Turnpike/Route 236 between the City of Fairfax and I-395 from four to six lanes.
• Route 123 Widening: This project would widen Chain Bridge Road/Route 123 to six lanes between the City of Fairfax and the Town of Vienna.
• Route 123 Widening: This project would widen Chain Bridge Road/Route 123 to six lanes between the City of Fairfax and Braddock Road.
• Route 29 Widening: This project would widen Route 29 to six lanes between the City of Fairfax to the eastern limit of I-495.
• City of Fairfax to Springfield High-Capacity Transit: Extend high-capacity transit from the City of Fairfax/ GMU to Springfield.

For the first time, NVTA included a seamlessly connected Bus Rapid Transit system across the region in its long-range plan. Local BRT would fill the gaps between the region's existing transit systems, such as Metrorail and the Virginia Railway Express.

By 2045, the Northern Virginia region is expected to grow by 23 percent to 3.14 million, and employment is expected to grow by 33 percent to 1.94 million, according to a release. NVTA deemed investments in a multimodal transportation network to be an essential part of its final plan if it was to meet the needs of this projected expansion.