New Plaza, Intersection Improvements Completed In Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA — Drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists may notice new improvements around two intersections on the southern side of Falls Church City.

On Wednesday, city and other regional leaders celebrated the completion of two projects: the South Washington Street Multimodal Improvements project and South Washington and South Maple Intersection Pedestrian Accessibility project.

The first project was completed where S. Washington Street meets Hillwood Avenue. A multimodal plaza was added with new bus shelters, bike racks, rain garden for stormwater retention, undergrounded utilities and storytelling panels displaying Falls Church history.

There are also new traffic signals, crosswalk, pedestrian push buttons and geometric changes to the intersection. Drivers no longer have a "free right" turn lane from northbound S. Washington Street to Hillwood Avenue. Streetcapes were improved on both sides of the street between Annandale Road and Tinner Hill Road, including brick pavers, street lighting, trees and ADA-compliant curb ramps. The project cost $9.4 million through federal, state and Northern Virginia Transportation Authority funds and local funding matches.

The project at S. Washington Street and S. Maple Avenue made pedestrian improvements on the border of Falls Church City and Fairfax County. Improvements include a new signal, ADA-compliant curb ramps, crosswalks and pedestrian push buttons. The project cost $1.4 million and received VDOT funding.

Falls Church Councilmember David Snyder noted the different aspects of benefits the transit plaza project provides, from making it easier to walk to providing more protection for bus riders waiting at bus stops.

"From the standpoint of equity, and from the standpoint of sustainability, and environment, and perhaps most importantly, we're advancing safety for each and every one of the members of the public that have an opportunity or need to be in this area in their cars in their trucks walking or biking," said Snyder.

Cindy Mester, assistant city manager in Falls Church, noted drivers would previously just continue right through the intersection with the free right turn. Now, Mester said the intersection is designed to be safer for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Mester also highlighted the benefits of the other project at the Falls Church-Fairfax County border. Before the project, crossing Maple Avenue wasn't as easy for pedestrians, who were faced with vehicles trying to enter S. Washington Street/Lee Highway from S. Maple Avenue.

"The first project which is the one down over the hill, is now safer and accessible," said Mester. "It allows for crossings between the two localities as you've heard, but also promotes the ability to shop and eat."

Supervisor Dalia Palchik, who represents the Providence District in Fairfax County and lives near the city's projects, noted a regional approach is needed to boost transportation safety.

"Some people ask me, 'wait, am I standing on the city line, on the county line, am I in Mason [District], and I in Providence [District]?' Some of us don't know," said Palchik. "It really is important that we make those connections, that we make it safe to ride a bike, to ride a bus, to walk, to get around the whole entire area, multimodal and safe for everyone in the region."

The history storytelling element of the plaza was a collaboration between the city and groups like the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation and Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society.

"This project really connects our historic venues of the area for important community and city storytelling. We go all the way from the Falls Church [Episcopal] to the Rolling Roads... to the history panels here, we move up towards the Tinner Hill arch and Tinner Hill historic site as well as our historic trail," said Mester. "I'm grateful for those that collaborated with us to build the history panels here that conducted that storytelling."

The project got its first funding in 2005 from a Federal Transit Administration grant. The grant was pursued by former Rep. Jim Moran, who represented Virginia's 8th congressional district. While the project was envisioned as a parking garage at Washington and Broad Streets at the time, but it ultimately was re-envisioned and relocated to the location at Washington Street and Hillwood Avenue.

Moran joked that he knew the project wasn't shovel-ready when he sought the first funding in 2005. But despite the wheels of government grinding slowly, Moran says Falls Church moves "in the direction of positivity and progressiveness." He pointed to how the new plaza achieves that.

"Falls Church has no reticence about confronting some of its past," said Moran. "It prioritizes the safety of its citizens, the equity issues that so many communities try to ignore or put aside, and the historical preservation is something that future generations are going to appreciate, and all the young people growing up in Falls Church who will take pride in being part of this particular unique community, and the environmental conservation and protection."

Funding for other transportation projects in Falls Church City is on the horizon. Various projects are receiving regional transportation funds through the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, including the North Washington Street Multimodal Improvements Project from Great Falls Street to Gresham Place that will begin construction in fiscal year 2026.

Rep. Don Beyer, who represents Falls Church in the 8th congressional district, is also seeking funding in the federal budget for two city projects, according to Beyer aide Jeremy Allen. One is a transportation project to reconstruct traffic signals at Hillwood Avenue and South Roosevelt Street. Beyer's other funding request for Falls Church seeks to preserve affordable housing at Virginia Village.

Local transportation projects also receive funding through the city's Capital Improvements Program. The latest six-year capital improvement program is proposed as part of the city's annual budget process.