Road repaving, restriping plan announced for Mason District

More bike lanes are coming to Mason District.

The Virginia Department of Transportation will repave dozens of roads in Mason District over the next few months, which will give the Fairfax County Department of Transportation an opportunity to paint bike lanes on some of those roads.

Much of the repaving will be concentrated in the Ravenwood neighborhood near Seven Corners, the Springdale neighborhood in Bailey’s Crossroads, and Broyhill Crest and other neighborhoods in Annandale,

Claudia Llana, an engineer with VDOT, and Chris Wells, active transportation manager at FCDOT, explained the paving and restriping plans at a community meeting on March 3.

FCDOT’s bike lane projects include the following:

Maple Place between Columbia Pike and Annandale Road in Annandale – Bike lanes will be added in both directions where space allows. Existing legal on-street parking will be maintained.

Markham Street between Annandale Road and Little River Turnpike in Annandale – Bike lanes will be added in both directions.

Lafayette Village Drive between Trammel Road and Hirst Drive in Annandale – Bike lanes will be added in both directions. Existing on-street parking and the existing median will be maintained.

Carlin Springs Road between Leesburg Pike and Seminary Road in Bailey’s Crossroads – Bike lanes will be added where no turn lanes are present. The left-turn lanes will be extended. Existing on-street parking will be maintained.

Scoville Street between Seminary Road and Paul Street in Bailey’s Crossroads – Bike lanes will be added where no turn lanes are present. Existing on-street parking will be maintained.

Lacey Boulevard between Columbia Pike and Magnolia Lane in Bailey’s Crossroads – Bike lanes and/or share-lane markings will be added, depending on road width. Existing on-street parking will be maintained.

George Mason Drive between Seminary Road and Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads – Bike lanes will be added in both directions by narrowing the parking lanes. Existing on-street parking will be maintained on both sides of the street. The existing four travel lanes and all turn lanes will be maintained.

George Mason Drive between Leesburg Pike and Hamilton Drive in Bailey’s Crossroads – Sharrows (share lane markings) will be added in the outside lane in both directions.

The repaving will begin in March or April, when it’s warm enough, with the bulk of the work done during May through October.

In determining which roads need repaving, VDOT uses a specially equipped van to collect digital images of road conditions and supplements that data with feedback from road crews, Llana says. VDOT also considers traffic volume and tries to cover a whole neighborhood rather than taking a piecemeal approach.

A map showing the 2020 paving program is expected to be posted here by April 1.

FCDOT’s plans for adding bicycling markings to streets being repaved are based on the Countywide Bicycle Master Plan and whether a road is wide enough to add a bike lane, Wells says.

Bike lanes not only offer a safer route for bicyclists; they also promote safety for everybody, he says.

“A bike lane really does lead to speed reduction,” Wells says. The average speed on a road with a bike lane will do down one or two miles per hour, but “people going 10 or 20 over the limit are virtually eliminated.”

A few committed, fearless bicyclists will ride anywhere, but there’s a large group of people who are interested in cycling but are concerned about their safety, he says. “We’re trying to move cycling to a more comfortable space, with more off-road projects, like cycle tracks or trails, or on the road with a buffer.”

These roads are scheduled for repaving:

Bailey’s Crossroads/Parklawn/Lincolnia – Arnet Street, Bouffant Boulevard, Bradley Boulevard, Chestnut Place, Clarence Avenue, Courtland Drive, Christine Place, Danny’s Lane, Danny’s Place, David Lane, Dawes Avenue, Doris Drive, Gorham Street, Hatton Court, Hawthorne Avenue, Hoffmans Lane, Lacey Boulevard, Leesburg Pike (bridge deck over Columbia Pike), Lester Court, Lewis Lane, Madison Lane, Magnolia Lane, Marshall Drive, Moncure Avenue, Munson Road, N. Chambliss Street, N. Rosser Street, Paul Street, Powell Lane, Reservoir Heights Avenue, S. George Mason Drive, S. Jefferson Street, Scoville Street/Carlin Springs Road, Skyline Heights Court, Summers Lane, Terrett Court.

Seven Corners/Sleepy Hollow – Buffalo Ridge Road, Carolyn Drive, Castle Road, Creswell Drive, Eppard Street, Faber Drive, Hazelton Street, Juniper Lane, Kerns Road, Lomar Drive, Marlo Drive, Nicholson Street, Shadeland Drive, Valley Court, Valley Lane, Villa Lane.

Annandale – Alpha Place, Antiopi Street, Arnheim Street, Aston Street, Beta Place, Beverly Manor Drive, Brenda Lane, Brookcrest Place, Bruce Lane, Championship Drive, Charleson Street, Chatelain Road, Dade Drive, Daniels Avenue, Delta Place, Dolce Drive, Estabrook Drive, Gamma Place, Hamilton Street, Hessney Drive, Hirst Drive, Horseshoe Drive, Howard Street, Justine Drive, Keith Place, Kenneth Drive, Krysla Court, Lafayette Village Drive, Larchmont Drive, Largo Lane, Lillie Mae Way, Lincolnshire Street, Linda Lane, Little River Turnpike (between the beltway and Picket Road), Lockwood Lane, Longstreet Court, Maple Place, Marguerite Court, Markham Street, Martin Avenue, Martin Taylor Court, McGregor Court/Epsilon Place, Merrimac Trail, Murray Lane, Oliver Avenue, Patricia Street, Pence Court, Pickett Court, Pleasant Ridge Road, Pleasant Way, Putnam Street, Quiet Cove, Rainbow Glen Court, Raleigh Road, Ramblewood Court, Rebel Drive, Richard Place, Ridge Road, Ridgewood Drive, Rodeo Court, Rodes Court, Rose Lane, Royce Court, Rust Road, Sanford Court, Sprucedale Drive, Stuart Court, Terrace Drive, Thor Drive, Thornton Court, Thornton Street, Trammell Road, Travis Parkway, Village Drive, Walton Drive, Walton Lane, Wendy Ridge Lane, Woodland Road,

Upcoming meetings on repaving in other Fairfax County Districts are listed here.