FABB Blog

I-66 Corridor Improvements

Potential Multimodal Improvements in Prince William, Fairfax

For a full list of projects see the Board Package for the Jan. 28 meeting (starting at page 455 425).  Below is our summary of the bike-related projects. Most of the projects without ID numbers were added based on comments during the Countywide Dialogue meetings:

ID	PROJECT	DISTRICT	TOTAL EST CST MIL	6-Yr Fund Recom. MIL	SCOPE
	Additional Countywide Dialogue on Transportation Requests	Countywide		$7.33	Countywide pedestrian and bicycle requests. Currently under review.
	Belle  View Blvd/G.W. Parkway	Mount Vernon	$0.04	$0.04	Partial funding for study only. Add bike/ped crossing and connection to Mount Vernon trail. Examine signalization including HAWK.
99	Burke Road Lane Diet and On-Road Bike Lanes	Springfield	$0.04	$0.04	Re-striping from Liberty Bell Ct to Rolling Road VRE P&R lot. Existing lanes and on-street parking can remain, but widths may be adjusted. Includes bicycle signage and access improvements near Liberty Bell Ct to improve safety and sight distance.
109	Cinderbed Road Bikeway	Lee	$4.00	$4.00	Provide approximately three miles of bikeway, extending from Fairfax County Parkway near Telegraph Road to the south side of the Franconia-Springfield Metrorail station. The southern segment could include an on-road facility on Cinderbed Road.
117	Fairfax County Parkway Bicycle Wayfinding Signage	Braddock	$0.08	$0.08	Install bicycle way finding signs along the Fairfax County Parkway and Franconia-Springfield Parkway.
123	Franconia-Springfield Metrorail Station/VRE Enhanced Bicycle Parking	Lee	$0.13	$0.13	Install covered bicycle parking to accommodate at least thirty bicycles. Improvements to the access driveway pavement and lighting and security may also be provided.
	Franconia-Springfield Parkway Trail Connections	Lee	$0.23	$0.23	Extend shared use path from  Spring Village Dr. to Ridgeway Dr. across Metrorail station.
129	Government Center Area Bicycle Demonstration Project	Braddock	$0.18	$0.18	Road diet on roadways to make the area more bicycle friendly. Government Center Pkwy from Random Hills Rd to Fairfax City. Post Forest Dr (West Ox Rd to Gov't Center Pkwy), Legato Rd (Post Forest Dr to US 29), and Ridge Top Rd (Random Hills Rd to US 29).
190	Herndon Metrorail Station Access Management Study (HMSAMS)	Dranesville	$25.00	$21.55	These projects include construction of intersection pedestrian improvements, new sidewalks, new trails and new on-road bicycle facilities within a one-mine radius of the Herndon and Innovation Center Metrorail Station.
	Holmes Run Stream Valley Trail	Mason	$1.50	$1.50	Upgrade pavement to better serve commuter bicyclists.
133	Hunter Village Drive Bicycle Parking	Springfield	$0.08	$0.08	This project will complement the new on-road bike lanes by installing covered bicycle parking on the north end of Hunter Village Drive in the vicinity of Old Keene Mill Road.
138	INOVA Center Medical Education Campus	Lee	$0.21	$0.21	Enhance bicycle and pedestrian access from the medical education campus located off Metropolitan Center Drive in Springfield to the Franconia-Springfield Metrorail Station and nearby activity centers.
	Lanier Street Bike/Ped Connection	Mason		$0.15	Lanier Street from Exeter St to Carrico Dr
206	Mason Neck Trail (Gunston Road Walkway)	Mount Vernon	$5.00	$5.00	Construct missing links of walkway on Gunston Road from Richmond Highway (Route 1) to Potomac River.
154	Mount Vernon Memorial Highway (Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail)	Mount Vernon	$6.50	$6.50	Project will complete missing segments of the Trail from southeast of Route 1 (Richmond Hwy) in the vicinity of the Washington's Mill Historic State Park to Grist Mill Park (southeast of Old Mill Rd). Includes bridge over Dogue Creek.
158	Old Keene Mill Road Bike Shoulders	Springfield	$9.10	$9.10	This project includes the installation of bicycle shoulders on Old Keene Mill Road from Lee Chapel Road to Spring Road, providing connectivity for the south-central area of the County. Supplemental signage will be installed.
189	Reston Metrorail Access Group (RMAG) Study Recommendations (Phase II)	Hunter Mill	$25.00	$21.55	These projects include construction of intersection pedestrian improvements, new sidewalks, new trails and new on-road bicycle facilities within a one-mine radius of the Reston Town Center Metrorail Station.
	Reston Town Center	Hunter Mill	$0.04	$0.04	Road/Lane Diets - add on-road bike lanes
	Rolling Valley Connector Trail	Springfield	$1.40	$0.25	Construct new shared use path from Rolling Valley Park & Ride to Pohick Stream Valley Park
	Route 236 (LRT) Corridor Improvements	Mason	$7.50	$7.50	Add bike lanes, wide curb lanes, bike shoulders to complete network gaps
209	Scotts Run Stream Valley Trail	Dranesville	$5.50	$3.00	Partially funded to construct trail on the west side of I-495 from Georgetown Pike to the Scotts Run Stream Valley.
170	Shipplett Boulevard On-Road Bike Lanes	Springfield	$0.04	$0.04	Provide on-road bike lanes on Shipplett Boulevard from Burke Lake Road to Old Keene Mill Road by reducing roadway lane width. No roadway widening is anticipated.
182	Van Dorn Street Pedestrian and Bicycle Connectivity Improvements	Lee	$0.50	$0.50	Existing trail extenuating from Oakwood Rd (ramp underpass) to the Alexandria City Line will be improved to current geometric standards, including those segments under the Capital Beltway (I-95) and the railroad. Lighting and way finding signage included.
183	Vienna Metrorail Station Area Bicycle Connectivity Improvements	Providence	$1.00	$1.00	Enhance bike access to the Vienna Metrorail and Metro West Town Center; Vaden Dr Bridge, Five Oaks Rd from Vaden Dr to Blake Ln, and Virginia Centre Blvd through lane and road dieting. Includes bike wayfinding signage and shared lane markings.
185	Westmoreland Street On-Road Bike Lanes	Dranesville	$0.04	$0.04	Extend existing on-road bike lanes from Kirby Rd to Arlington County Line. Done as part of VDOT's repaving program. Westmoreland St is a priority route providing bicycle connectivity between McLean, Arlington, Metrorail stations, and the W&OD Trail.
	Total Bicycle Projects		$93.11	$90.04

If your senator voted for the bill, a note of thanks is in order; if they didn’t, a note expressing your disappointment. More importantly, ask your House delegate to please support this bill when it gets to the House.How Senators Voted

Fairfax County Department of Transportation is hosting a Public Open House to examine the feasibility of bringing bikeshare to Reston on Wednesday January 29th from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, at Lake Anne Elementary School, 11510 North Shore Drive, Reston, Virginia. The Open House will be held in the cafeteria and will include short informational presentations as well as opportunities for the public to provide input to the project.

Background: Fairfax County was recently awarded a TLC (Transportation/Land Use Connections) Grant through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to conduct a feasibility study of bringing bikesharing to Reston. With the Silver Line Metrorail station opening, including expanded and upgraded bus service, as well as future redevelopment; the local transportation network is poised for transformation. This feasibility study will look at how best to integrate bikeshare with transit and the network as well as important trip origins and destinations. The study will also examine how bike sharing can address first and last mile trips and become a cost-effective service for Reston. The study is being conducted with the assistance of the consulting firm Alta Planning + Design.

Purpose of Public Open House: As part of this study, the public is invited to give input to understand interests and concerns and encourage information sharing about the proposed system. The Open House will include information about how the system could work as well as how to decide where best to add new stations. It will also consider user and community issues as well as how to include underserved neighborhoods.

Should you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Charlie Strunk, Bicycle Program Coordinator, Fairfax County Department of Transportation at: charlie.strunk@fairfaxcounty.gov or (703) 877-5600.

A mix of supply-and demand-side strategies. Expanding roadway and transit capacity goes a long way in alleviating congestion on the existing transportation system, but doing so can often be more expensive and less cost-effective than efforts to manage demand.

A multimodal approach. Offering a wider variety of travel modes, and focusing attention on modes that can move more people at lower cost, is key to moving more people more efficiently. Making such options available to more people also takes pressure off currently crowded systems, especially the roadway network and the core of the transit system, and alleviates demand for expensive new infrastructure. Providing travelers with more options also results in an increase in quality of life, as they are more likely to be able to choose a mode that best suits their individual needs. Not all projects with a given mode deserve equal attention, however; some investments or projects support more regional goals and offer greater benefit relative to their costs than others.

A focus on concentrating future growth in mixed-use Activity Centers. Land-use is a critical component in more effectively managing demand on our region’s transportation system. Concentrating growth in mixed-use Activity Centers can help make more effective use of existing facilities, and can improve socioeconomic imbalance in the region by supporting job growth and commercial activity in areas that currently lack it. These land-use principles are central tenets of Region Forward and the TPB Vision.

Expand Bicycle infrastructure (NT6)

What we should do: Make bicycling a viable transportation choice for more people in more places by making it safer, easier, and more convenient.

• Invest in more bike lanes and bike paths
• Expand bike-sharing systems like Capital Bikeshare 
• Provide more bicycle parking 
• Increase workplace amenities for bicyclists, such as showers and changing rooms 

How much it will cost: $$$$$ - Tens of millions of dollars

Why we should do it: Responds to rising demand

Bicycling is booming in the Washington region—not just as way to get healthy and have fun, but as a practical mode of transportation. Because of this rising demand, we need to expand bicycling infrastructure to make it safer and easier for more people.

Between 2000 and 2011, the District of Columbia saw the share of its residents who bicycle to work double, from 1.4 percent of residents to 3.5 percent. Regionally, the share is still below 1 percent, but growing. Some higher- density, mixed-use communities outside the regional core have higher shares of people commuting to work by bike, like the area near the East and West Falls Church Metrorail stations, which saw 3.6 percent of commuters traveling by bike.

Interest in and support for bicycling is also growing across the region. Suburban jurisdictions are increasingly seeing that bicycling can provide a viable transportation option in locations where it was previously considered unrealistic. Fairfax and Montgomery counties, for example, are both pursuing the expansion of Capital Bikeshare into communities there. Bike to Work Day 2013 had a record 14,500 total participants, with individuals from every jurisdiction in the region pledging to commute to work by bike as part of the event.

Encourages greater use at a small price

The more bicycle infrastructure that is available, the more people are likely to ride. For example, since the year 2000, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has designated 56 miles of marked bike lanes, installed 2,300 bicycle parking racks, and launched Capital Bikeshare. Most of the increases in bicycle use observed over the last decade have occurred in the neighborhoods near downtown Washington, which has the highest concentration of new bike lanes, cycle tracks, and Capital Bikeshare stations. Capital Bikeshare has been particularly effective in increasing bicycling trips: in 2013, Capital Bikeshare provided an average of [X] trips per month.

Bicycling infrastructure is also relatively inexpensive to install. Bike lanes cost about $15,000 per mile and costs can be much lower if the striping is done as part of planned resurfacings or larger streetscape projects. Protected cycle tracks are more expensive to install, at approximately $200,000 per mile, but they also facilitate more bicycling than can normal lanes.

Supports activity centers and builds community

Bicycling infrastructure is a key element in community design. The TPB’s Complete Streets Policy, adopted in 2012, called upon the region’s local and state governments to adopt policies to promote street design policies and standards to make alternative modes of transportation—including bicycling and walking—safer and more comfortable. Today, nearly all the region’s jurisdictions have adopted Complete Streets approaches and are finding ways to make a range of transportation options available to more residents. Jurisdictions in all corners of the region are seeking their own ways to promote mixed-use activity centers and bicycle infrastructure to expand the number of destinations that can be reached without a car.

As we seek to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve public health, bicycling provides the freedom to get where you need to go quickly and efficiently. Even for people who do not often bike, it represents an expansion of our options for travel. And transportation choice is a key element in our region’s vision for the future.

Help us get this legislation passed. Please email or call your delegate and senator, and ask them to support these bills. If you don’t know who they are, use the Who’s My Legislator page.

A quick note stating your name, address, that you are a constituent and to please support the following bills is all that’s required. Just mention the bill number and what it’s about.

SB 97, three foot passing: in 22 states and the District of Columbia, motorists are required to leave three feet of clearance while passing people on bikes. In Pennsylvania, it’s four feet. Virginia, only two. (Yikes!) This bill changes one word in current law, from “two” to “three”. Passed by the Senate, will cross over to the House.

SB 225, dooring: “No person shall open the door of a motor vehicle on the side adjacent to moving traffic unless and until it is reasonably safe to do so.” Currently there is no law to stop anyone from opening a car door into the path of a cyclist, or find them negligent for injuring a cyclist while doing so. Senate vote likely Monday, 1/27.

HB 82, following bicycles too closely: striking “motor” from the text makes it illegal for motorists to follow non-motorized vehicles too closely — including people on bikes. House vote likely Friday, 1/24.

HB 320, reckless driving, passing other vehicles at crosswalks and intersections: “Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, a driver of another vehicle whose vehicle is approaching the stopped vehicle from the rear and who overtakes or passes the stopped vehicle is guilty of reckless driving.” Awaiting vote by the full House Transportation Committee, Thursday 1/23.

HB 277, stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks: current law says only “yield” which is not strong enough. A complete stop better demonstrates having yielded, and is easier to enforce. Failed to report (killed) in committee.

HB 542, wearing of masks in public: changes current law to make it only about using a mask to facilitate committing a crime. Currently, it’s a class 6 felony for a cyclist to wear a mask for cold weather protection. Awaiting vote by the Courts of Justice Committee.

HB 1250, Sunday hunting: would allow landowners to hunt on Sundays on their own land. Of course the bullets don’t know where the boundaries are. Currently, with hunting prohibited on Sundays, cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy one bullet-free day a week in the woods. We’re against this bill. Awaiting vote by the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee.

HB82/Don’t follow too closely sailed right out of House Transportation this morning, 17 – 1, with Delegate Barbara Comstock carrying it, and with very little discussion. It now goes on to the House Floor, where EVERYONE in the state can contact their Delegates, giving them a heads up that the bill is on its way, and urging them to support it.

As mentioned previously, Del. Scott Garrett, who is the House Trans Sub 2 Chair, kept his record intact of never* having supported a bill that would help bicyclists or pedestrians, as he cast the lone dissenting vote.

The other bill on the docket that we are supporting did not have such smooth sailing, as Del. Kory’s HB320 which will penalize drivers who pass other drivers that are stopped at a RR Xing or Crosswalk with a Pedestrian in it, was Passed By for the Day, after some questions were raised by Dels. Hugo & Habeeb regarding the severity of the penalty. Although this bill was supported by the representative of the State Police about as strongly as he ever supports a bill, and is not really adding that much to the existing code, Chairman Rust gave the impression that the language needed some further discussion with the State Police.

Although being Passed By in this fashion is usually only a brief delay, I wasn’t clear if the motion meant until Thursday, or a full week until next Tuesday’s meeting.

Walk or Bike to Metrorail in Herndon.

The Herndon Metrorail Stations Access Management Study (HMSAMS) is a collaborative effort, led by the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT), to develop a plan for pedestrian and bicycle facility improvements designed to improve access to and around the future Herndon and Innovation Center Metrorail Stations, located in Herndon, VA.

Two important bike bills will be heard by the Senate Transportation Committee tomorrow afternoon, Wed. Jan. 15:

SB 97 — Three Foot Passing
SB 225 — Dooring

If your senator is on this committee, please send them a quick note to ask them to support these bills. Champe Burnley reminds us: “…a quick call or a sentence or two with the bill numbers is all you need to do. Remind them that this is about safety on our roads, transportation choices, and saving lives.” If you’d like to go into further detail, we’ve posted talking points.

Use the Who’s My Legislator page to find who your senator is. If they’re on the Transportation Committee, listed below, please send them a note. Click on their name for contact info. You can email them or call.

Sen. Steve Newman (R-Forest) Chair
Sen. Henry Marsh (D-Richmond)
Sen. John Watkins (R-Midlothian)
Sen. Phil Puckett (D-Tazewell)
Sen. Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach)
Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath)
Sen. Ryan McDougle (R-Mechanicsville)
Sen. Ralph Smith (R-Roanoke)
Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Burke)
Sen. Jeff McWaters (R-Virginia Beach)
Sen. Chuck Colgan (D-Manassas)
Sen. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson)
Sen. Barbara Favola (D-Arlington)
Sen. Kenneth C. Alexander (D-Norfolk

VDOT and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) identified 10 concepts to increase capacity within the corridor, as well as options to increase travel mode choices, improve individual interchanges, address spot safety needs and enhance travel efficiency.

Learn about the next steps to identify potential improvements in the Corridor.

E-mail comments to meeting_comments@vdot.virginia.gov, with “I-66 Corridor Improvements” in the subject line or send your comments to Ms. Susan Shaw, PE., 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 by Feb. 17, 2014.

Virginia Bills:

HB 82 — Following Too Closely: This bill would require drivers of any vehicle to not follow more closely than is reasonable any other vehicle, including bicyclists.

SB 225 – Dooring Legislation: If this law is enacted, drivers and passengers in Virginia will be legally required to exercise care when opening their car doors with respect to adjacent traffic. Dooring of bicyclists by drivers and passengers can cause serious injury and this bill seeks to reduce the potential of dooring.

SB 97 – Three Foot Passing : Current Virgina law requires drivers to exercise care when passing vehicles, including bicyclists, and to give at least two feet when passing. This bill seeks to extend the passing distance to three feet, in line with D.C. and Maryland law.

HB277 – Pedestrians crossing highways: This bill would clarify the duties of vehicles to stop to allow pedestrians (and bicyclists) to cross highways at marked crosswalks. The full bill language helps to define many ambiguities that exist in current law.

HB320: Reckless driving; passing other vehicles at intersections: This bill seeks to amend the legal reckless driving statute by prohibiting a person from overtaking or passing another vehicle stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection when a pedestrian (or bicyclist) is present.