The Braddock Road project advances
The Virginia Department of Transportation will update the public on the Braddock Road Multimodal Improvements Project on July 26, 6:30-9 p.m., in the cafeteria of Lake Braddock Secondary School (9200 Burke Lake Road).
The project involves multimodal and access management improvements along three miles of Braddock Road between Ravensworth Road in Annandale and Humphries Drive in Burke, along Ravensworth Road between Braddock Road and Heritage Drive, and on the Braddock Road ramps to southbound I-495.
The project includes intersection improvements on Braddock Road at Rolling Road, Wakefield Chapel Road/Danbury Forest Drive, and Burke Lake Road.
New and upgraded shared-use paths will be constructed along both sides of Braddock Road.
The project is aimed at improving multimodal safety, mobility, and accessibility for all users. Within the project limits, Braddock Road averages about 61,000 vehicles a day, and Ravensworth Road averages 14,000.
Construction will be done in two phases. Phase 1, between Ravensworth Road and Southampton Drive, is fully funded. Construction on Phase 1 is scheduled to start in fall 2028. Right of way acquisition and utility relocation for Phase 1 would take place in spring 2025.
Phase 2, between Southampton Drive and Humphries Drive, is partially funded.
The project is financed with Virginia Smart Scale funds plus additional federal and local funds. VDOT has not announced a cost estimate, as the project design has not been finalized. A public hearing on the proposed design will be held this fall.
12 responses to “The Braddock Road project advances”
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Except there will be limited access to crossing the street. Pedestrians will have to walk 1/2 mile to find a crosswalk. Not serving the locals but keeping the traffic moving. A perfect place to inhale exhaust fumes while you are exercising. great idea, or a waste of money? Losing trees on both sides of the street, perfect.
Many will not walk to crosswalk. Having shared use paths on both sides of Braddock will increase the risk of mid-block pedestrian crossings. From FHWA report: Designers often assume that pedestrians will cross roadways at established intersections. Observation of pedestrian behavior clearly indicates that people routinely cross at mid-block locations. Pedestrians will rarely go out of their way to cross at an intersection unless they are rewarded with a much improved crossing — most will take the most direct route possible to get to their destination, even if this means crossing several lanes of high-speed traffic.
So true… Especially when you have to walk a 1/2 mile to find a crosswalk. This is dangerous for children and parents will just drive them to school. So much for “walkable” communities. This project does not serve the community, it is a vanity project so that FCDOT and VDOT can show what they “can” do, but misguided and the wrong location.
And no matter how many accidents occur at the intersection of Queensbury and Audrey Moore VDOT/Fairfax County continue to say “there are not enough accidents at that intersection to do anything about the light”. I guess we have to wait until someone is actually killed there before the County will notice, if even then…..
Any lingering “concerns” about people inhaling vehicle exhaust are short lived, since vehicles have become increasingly cleaner, and electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions.
If signalized crosswalks are 1/2-mile apart, add more so they are no more than 0.1-mile apart.
This road should have street trees lining the roadway, so if mature trees must be lost to create shared-use paths on both sides of the roadway, planting many more street trees would more than compensate for that loss.
Ideally, convert one vehicular travel lane in each direction to become a dedicated bus lane. Reducing the road’s capacity for single-occupant vehicles will reduce the demand for such travel and thus traffic and traffic congestion.
There’s only 1 bus route Braddock, so please stop pushing this ESG BS narrative. Do you know how bad traffic would be if you only had one lane, please go pet some Rocks. Also, tire and asphalt dust should be your biggest worries if you care about toxicity.
Don’t forget West of 495 was designed for suburban families, which means that they don’t want “others” walking around “their” neighborhoods. Crosswalks are not a priority in this county.
Right. And everyone can buy a new electric car because they are so affordable, diesel vehicles will stop spewing exhaust not to mention older cars that need service. VDOT hates tree maintenance and there will be NO trees on Braddock Road, creating a heat island. Your suggestion of a dedicated bus lane is also a lovely dream. In fact, this money should be put to better mass transit instead of this little boondoggle.
Dumbest comment of the week. And that, my dear sir, is quite the accomplishment.
I thought the Muchnick comment was a joke; but he is a transportation expert.
.1 miles apart is 160 meters apart.
Might as well make the whole road a crosswalk.
Oh wait! The whole road is a crosswalk now that jaywalking is legal.
Now you have personally experienced the genius behind these “plans.” Give this man a raise and a corner office!
For those of you who want to know more details about the latest VDOT plan for paths, intersection redesigns, and storm water management, click on the VDOT link in the article and look at their Powerpoint and also video of the presentation at the public meeting held on 7/26. I spoke at the meeting to recommend that an independent expert panel be established to review the VDOT data, assumptions, and recommendations. This is a link to my detailed comments on Google Drive. https://tinyurl.com/m7npsu4d
If you agree or have other suggestions, you should send your comments to VDOT and your legislators.
No one cares. They’ll do what they want. If you want to make change, organize an effort to stop paying taxes. Or, maybe a leaf burning club. Time to start thinking outside the box.
Question — where am I taking my multimodal vehicle between Olly and Ravenswood? Is the idea that I can multi-mode from one dead end to another? This plan isn’t connecting anything at all. It’s a road to nowhere. Also notice how any improvement abruptly stops at the edge of Annandale – This is elitist waste of money. If this was a center lane lite rail from GMU to Old Town Alexandria, you’d have my support. Or a hub and spike trail that connects outer fairfax to Arlington and Tysons – you’d have our support. If this boondoggle was redirected to save Lake Accotink, you’d have our support. But our support is irrelevant to FFx county staff.