FCDOT proposes additional bike lanes, crosswalks in Lee District

In follow-up to the April 19 public information meeting on road paving and restriping in Mount Vernon, Lee and Springfield Districts, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) held a second virtual paving and restriping meeting June 15 focused specifically on additional proposed bike lanes and marked crosswalks in Lee District. The supplemental projects proposed for Fordson Road and Farmington Drive — originally deferred for consideration until next year — were made possible by a lower re-bid on VDOT’s paving contract and would potentially be implemented between September 2022 and June 2023.

Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk thanked VDOT for allowing the additional projects to happen, calling them a “unique opportunity this year.”

Following a presentation on VDOT’s paving program by Houda Ali, FCDOT’s Nicole Wynands discussed the proposed striping modification projects along Fordson Road between Richmond Highway and Mount Vernon Plaza shopping center. There, FCDOT recommends adding standard bike lanes by narrowing the existing travel lanes, as well as clearly marking where parking is permitted. Legal on-street parking would remain in place north of Cyrene Boulevard, while some on-street parking would be allowed between Cyrene and the commercial driveway at McDonald’s.

Credit: Fairfax County Department of Transportation

Additionally, FCDOT proposes upgrading an existing unmarked crosswalk to a high visibility one across Fordson at Cyrene Boulevard, close to the United Community headquarters and food pantry. Another crosswalk would be added across Fordson at the McDonald’s driveway, improving pedestrian access to bus stops and connectivity between shopping centers. Some parking restrictions would be put in place just south of that crosswalk to ensure safe sight distance of pedestrians.

FCDOT also is proposing striping changes to Farmington Drive between Telegraph Road and Edgehill Drive, adjacent to Jefferson Manor Park. There, they suggest adding a standard bike lane eastbound in the uphill direction and shared lane markings in the downhill direction. Wynands noted that the addition of bike facilities would be of particular benefit to commuters between Telegraph Road and the Huntington Metro station.

Proposed standard bike and shared lanes along Farmington Drive (Credit: Fairfax County Department of Transportation)

Local residents and commuters attending the FCDOT and VDOT presentation expressed appreciation for the proposed modifications. A few participants urged FCDOT and VDOT to go farther in future projects and create protected bike lanes, designed to provide an additional buffer between bikes and vehicles, on Telegraph Road.

Comments and feedback on FCDOT’s proposals for Lee District are being accepted electronically until Wednesday, June 29. The virtual meeting from June 15 can be viewed in its entirety on YouTube.