Bus Rapid Transit on Route 7: Community Meetings Coming Up

• PHOTO: Rendering of Route 7 transportation options; image courtesy of Envision Route 7

Recommendations to connect the Spring Hill Metrorail Station in Tysons to Mark Center in Alexandria via bus rapid transit (BRT) will be the focus of three public meetings in June in Alexandria and Falls Church, according to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.

Bus Rapid Transit is proposed to run 11 miles along Route 7 in mostly dedicated lanes, leaving the state road briefly to connect to the East Falls Church Metrorail Station, according to the commission.

The Route 7 Corridor study considered three transit modes – Bus Rapid Tranist, light rail and enhanced bus service – and several alignments, with and without a connection at East Falls Church Metro and termination at Mark Center or the King Street or Van Dorn Street Metrorail stations.

Construction and operating costs for Bus Rapid Transit on Route 7 are, respectively, 70 and 40 percent lower than light rail, according to the commission. Bus Rapid Transit is expected to attract 9,500 new transit riders to Route 7 each day.

The cost of the project is estimated to be between $250 million and $270 million, with annual operating costs of $18 million, according to a recent report by The Washington Post. It could be between five and 10 years before a bus rapid transit system opens, the newspaper reported.

Here's a look at the schedule of upcoming meetings:

Alexandria meeting next Monday night

• Monday, June 6, 2016 (7-9 p.m.)
• The Pavilion at the Apartments at the Mark Center, 5708 Merton Court, Alexandria, VA 22311

Falls Church meeting next Wednesday night

• Wednesday, June 8, 2016 (7-9 p.m.)
• Glen Forest Elementary School, Ground Floor Cafeteria, 5829 Glen Forest Drive, Falls Church, VA 22043

Falls Church meeting Tuesday, June 14

• *Tuesday, June 14, 2016 (7-9 p.m.) (date changed from previous announcement)
• Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, Ground Floor Cafeteria, 7130 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043

About Northern Virginia Transportation Commission: NVTC works to ensure that businesses and residents are served by a high capacity, high quality network of transit systems that allows the region to thrive. It funds and promotes transit in the counties of Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church. NVTC supports five local bus systems (ART, CUE, DASH, Fairfax Connector, Loudoun County Transit), WMATA (Metrorail/Metrobus) and the Virginia Railway Express.