New bus shelters are being installed

A brand-new bus shelter on Columbia Pike.

Bus riders in the Parklawn area have two new shelters to relax in while waiting for their trip toward Arlington or D.C. One is in front of Barcroft Plaza; the other is between Arcadia Road and Chaco Road.

Four more shelters along Columbia Pike are expected be replaced next year, says Anna Nissinen, a spokesperson with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

Three other bus shelters – on Little River Turnpike in front of the CVS by Backlick Road in Annandale, on John Marr Drive in front of the Kmart in Annandale, and Leesburg Pike at Lakeside View Drive in Seven Corners – will be replaced “in the near future,” Nissinen says.

The shelters with advertising have solar-powered LED lighting.

Residents have been complaining about the sorry state of bus shelters in Mason District for years. Many of them have broken benches and broken and rusting supports making them structurally unsound.

It’s taken a long time to address the problem because responsibility for maintaining bus shelters in Fairfax County was transferred from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to the county, and the county has had budget constraints.

Each shelter costs $10,000 to $25,000, depending on how much concrete is needed, Nissinen says. The funds come from FCDOT/Fairfax Connector operating and maintenance funds.

Fairfax County is responsible for trash collection at bus shelters, but the Virginia Department of Transportation is responsible for trash at the few VDOT park-and-ride lots.