Transportation Projects Impacting Falls Church In NVTA Long-Range Plan

FALLS CHURCH, 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 following projects in and around the City of Falls Church are included in the TransAction plan NVTA adopted on Thursday:

1. Route 7 Widening: Widen Route 7 from four to six lanes from I-495 to I-66.
2. Route 7 Widening: Widen Route 7 from four to six lanes between Seven Corners and Bailey's Crossroads.
3. Leesburg-Alexandria Route 7 Trail: Construct a trail along Route 7 from Leesburg to Alexandria.
4. Seven Corners Ring Road Improvements: Construct a ring road and improve interchange at Seven Corners to reduce congestion on Route 7, improve access between Seven Corners, Falls Church, and Bailey's Crossroads, facilitate redevelopment of the area and improve safety for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.
5. Bike Lanes on Route 7: Construct protected bike lanes on both sides of Route 7 between Alexandria and Seven Corners, connecting with the City of Falls Church bike network.
6. Route 7 Bus Rapid Transit: Construct Bus Rapid Transit along Route 7 between Tysons and Mark Center in Alexandria through the City of Falls Church with a connection to the East Falls Church Metrorail Station.
7. Route 50 BRT: Implement Bus Rapid Transit Service on Route 50 in dedicated lanes from Fair Oaks Mall to Washington, DC.
8. Route 29 BRT: Implement BRT Service on Route 50 in dedicated lanes from Fair Oaks Mall to Washington, DC.
9. Route 29 and Route 50 Enhanced Bus: Implement Route 29 and Route 50 Express Bus and enhanced bus improvements.
10. Route 50 Widening: Widen Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) to six lanes between the City of Fairfax and Arlington County. The project would include intersection improvements, including signalization improvements, and pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
11. East Falls Church Metrorail Station Second Entrance: Planning, design and construction of a full second entrance to East Falls Church Metrorail Station, including new bus bays, a western mezzanine, and bicycle and pedestrian connections.
12. Falls Church Multimodal Improvements: Multimodal improvements in Falls Church revitalization areas: West Broad Street, Washington Street Corridor, and East End. Improvements will include improved intersection geometry and signalization, improved pedestrian connectivity and accessibility, improved transit stops, and improved bicycle access.
13. Route 29 Trail: Construct a trail along Route 29 from Dixie Hill Road to East Falls Church Metrorail Station.
14. East Falls Church Metrorail Station Multimodal Improvements: Construct multimodal improvements, including new or restructured bus bays at the current station, bicycle and pedestrian connections, improve access and signalization on North Sycamore Street and Washington Boulevard, and install bikesharing stations.
15. Metrorail Pocket Track Improvements: Construct new Orange and Silver Line junction infrastructure and pocket track at East Falls Church or West Falls Church. Improve or add pocket tracks to provide enhanced reliability, incident management/response, and operational flexibility for short-lining, maintenance and crossovers.
16. East Falls Church Bikeshare Connections: Install up to 24 bikesharing stations along Route 29, Route 7, Sycamore Street, Roosevelt Street, and W&OD Trail in the City of Falls Church.
18. Falls Church Enhanced Bus Service: Enhance bus service along Route 29 and Route 7 in the City of Falls Church, including all day service, 15-minute frequency, bus shelters with real-time information, additional vehicles required to operate the service, maintenance/storage facilities, mobility hubs, bus stops and access facilities.
19. Falls Church Enhanced Regional Bike Routes (W&OD): Enhance regional bike routes (W&OD), including separate trails for walking and bicycling, updated crossings to increase safety, and lighting to keep trail open all year.
20. Transit Boulevard along Sycamore Street and Roosevelt Street: East Falls Church Metrorail to Seven Corners Transit and pedestrian/bicycle connections along Sycamore Street and Roosevelt Street with a bridge overpass connecting to planned redevelopment in Seven Corners.
21. Falls Church Metro Station Access: Multimodal access improvements for the East Falls Church and West Falls Church Metrorail Stations, including pedestrian access, bicycle access and bikesharing stations, and bus access.
22. Falls Church Regional Bicycle Connections: On-street bicycle facilities to connect Falls Church's bicycle network to the W&OD, Arlington County's network and Fairfax County's network.
23. City of Falls Church Greenway and Parkway Network: Provide greenways and parkways through and between city parks, open spaces, and Great Streets through the installation of trails, dedicated bicycle facilities, bikesharing, key sidewalk improvements, and lighting. Provide connectivity to and within the City of Falls Church activity center, connect to the regional transportation network, and reduce auto congestion by reducing auto dependence. Provide first and last mile connection to regional transit.
24. Bicycle Facility Route 7 - City of Falls Church: Construct a separated bikeway along Route 7 in the City of Falls Church.
25. Bicycle Facility Route 7 - City of Falls Church: Construct a separated bikeway along Route 7 in the City of Falls Church.
26. City of Falls Church “Park Once and Walk” Garage Network: City of Falls Church “Park Once and Walk” Garage Network
27. City of Falls Church Safe Routes to School: Implement infrastructure to support a Safe Routes to School program in the City of Falls Church, to reduce congestion caused by driving children to and from school. Manage travel demand during peak travel times and iplement new or improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities within one mile of school campus. Includes crossing of major thoroughfares.
28. City of Falls Church TDM Program: Implement and expand TDM initiatives and programs in the City of Falls Church.
29. City of Falls Church Access to Transit: Construct new bus shelters in the City of Falls Church. Project also includes improved pedestrian and bicycle connections to bus stops and shelters.

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.

Patch editor Michael O'Connell contributed to this report.