Fairfax County Parkway Widening Project

The Fairfax County Board approved the design plans for the Fairfax County Parkway widening, including the grade separated interchange at Popes Head Road. After an extensive community engagement period, relief is finally on the way for this congested and dangerous interchange. This project will:

• Construct the interchange at Popes Head Road and the Fairfax County Parkway and allow for the future construction of the long-planned extension of Shirley Gate Road from Braddock Road to the Parkway.
• Widen the Parkway to three lanes in each direction from Route 29 to Route 123.
• Make Improvements at the Burke Centre Parkway/Fairfax County Parkway intersection as well as the 123 interchange.
• Provide a continuous shared-use path along the Parkway by building the missing piece of trail between 123 and Burke Centre Parkway

Supervisor Herrity highlighted the following priorities associated with the final design. These include:

• The community desire to keep the feel and aesthetics of a parkway for the Popes Head Interchange rather than a “concrete canyon” design like the interchange at Fair Lakes Parkway – this was accomplished but at a cost of additional right of way at the Popes Head interchange. The bulk of the Fairfax County Parkway in this section will have grass medians except where barriers are needed to improve safety and prevent crossover accidents.
• The community desire to have roundabouts rather than traffic lights at the new Popes Head Road grade separate interchange – this was accomplished but at a cost of additional right of way
• The community desire to keep full access at the Burke Centre Parkway as opposed to the right in, right out originally proposed. The Board approved Supervisor Cook’s and my request to look at an interchange in the long term – this is considered important by Burke Centre merchants and residents and also has the support of Supervisor Walkinshaw.
• The desire to limit the impact to a planned church in the northeast corner of the Popes Head and Fairfax County Parkway intersection – accomplished.

As expected with any project of this magnitude, there were a few issues that we were not able to address. The most impactful and noticeable of these was inability to get sound walls for many of the residents in the lower density and rural areas along the parkway due to federal and state regulations.

I was not in favor of some residents’ request to remove a key transportation link from our transportation map. The Shirley Gate extension is projected to handle over 12,000 vehicles per day and provides critical relief to Braddock Road and 123. The Shirley Gate Extension project is currently funded at $14 Million (funded through design and partial right of way) and is a county priority because of the congestion relief it provides.

Land acquisition for the Popes Head Road interchange should start later this year.