Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the George Snyder Trail topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
VDOT offers 'west‑half' option for George Snyder Trail; Fairfax Council to consider June 10 resolution
Summary
Staff told the council VDOT will consider a scope change to construct only the western half of the George Snyder Trail if the city adopts a June 10 resolution; staff estimated a possible repayment roughly around $1.5M of prior design costs if the east half is not built, with VDOT to provide a written not‑to‑exceed repayment estimate.
City staff told the Fairfax City Council on June 3 that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has offered a third option for the George Snyder Trail: construct the western half of the trail only and defer or cancel the eastern half. The city manager said VDOT is willing to proceed with that scope change if the council adopts a resolution requesting the change and authorizing staff to seek Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) approval by the CTB materials deadline.
"They will work with us on determining that exact repayment amount," the manager said, describing VDOT's requirement that the city may need to repay a portion of paid design expenses related to the portion of the project that would not be built. Staff provided a high‑level estimate in the presentation that roughly half of previously expended preliminary engineering could be attributed to the east half — a not‑to‑exceed repayment figure staff preliminarily estimated around $1.5 million (staff noted that figure is an approximation and could range higher or lower pending VDOT's review).
Staff stressed schedule constraints tied to CTB meeting timelines and asked council to consider two resolutions at the June 10 meeting: one endorsing the full build and one supporting the western‑half alternative to allow staff to seek the required CTB scope change. City staff said VDOT will supply a written confirmation of the repayment calculation before the end of the week and that CTB review would include regional committees (JAC/BTA) before CTB workshop and action later in the summer.
Council members debated tradeoffs—connectivity and regional benefits versus tree and forest impacts, potential repayment obligations and reputational risk with VDOT and funding partners. Several council members said they wanted further outreach and documentation posted publicly before taking a position; staff agreed to post the VDOT correspondence and earlier council communications to the project website.
If council endorses the west‑half option, staff said they would submit the resolution to the CTB process (with a June 20 materials deadline) and expect the CTB to consider the change in September. Staff cautioned the repayment figure and schedule remain subject to technical review by VDOT and consultant cost allocations.
