Meeting Postponed On Improvements For Telegraph Road Intersection

UPDATE: VDOT has postponed the Sept. 1 meeting. It will be rescheduled in the coming weeks.

FRANCONIA, VA — The Virginia Department of Transportation is planning improvements at the intersection of Telegraph Road and Hayfield Road in Franconia. The preliminary design will be discussed at a virtual meeting at a later time.

The project aims to reduce congestion and improve safety and operations in the area, according to VDOT. The preliminary design for improvements call for a second through lane on Telegraph Road in the northbound direction. VDOT would also reconfigure southbound Telegraph Road just beyond Hayfield Road. Existing on-road parking would be coverted to a second through lane, and the eastbound Hayfield Road through lane would be changed to a shared left-turn/through lane.

The busy intersection sits near Hayfield Secondary School and the Hayfield Shopping Center. To the north is the U.S. Coast Guard base, while Fort Belvoir is further south off Telegraph Road. Currently, Telegraph Road has one through lane in each direction along with turn lanes at the Hayfield intersection. Hayfield Road has two through lanes for traffic heading west, and a through lane and turn lanes for the rest of the intersection. According to VDOT's 2019 data, Telegraph Road has an average 21,000 vehicles per day at the intersection, and Hayfield Road sees an average 10,000 vehicles.

Right-of-way acquisition would start in winter 2022 and 2023, and construction would begin in fall 2024. The estimated cost is $1.1 million for preliminary engineering, $738,000 for right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation and $3 million for construction. State and Fairfax County funds are funding the project.

Residents can learn about the improvements and provide feedback at the rescheduled meeting. Stay up to date at virginiadot.org/TelegraphatHayfield.

Feedback may be provided through an online survey, or comments may be emailed to meetingcomments@vdot.virginia.gov or mailed to Ms. Hong Ha, P.E., Virginia Department of Transportation, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030.