Task force weighs routing Richmond Highway BRT to connect with Lorton VRE station

Tom Burke, a Department of Transportation presenter, laid out the long-range Richmond Highway BRT plan and asked the Lorton Core Study Task Force whether the BRT should veer off Richmond Highway to connect with the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station in Lorton. "So a question has been raised. What if we were to connect the BRT to the VRE? How would you do that, and does it make sense?" Burke asked as he opened the discussion.

The presentation traced the BRT’s DRPT‑sponsored planning history and described three commercial phases already envisioned along Richmond Highway. Burke said a Lorton connection could broaden access to jobs and population centers and suggested reconfiguring local feeder buses (routes 171, 305 and 371) to feed the BRT. He cautioned that diverting buses into Lorton could add minutes to through trips and would require roadway and stop reconfiguration.

Task force members and local stakeholders welcomed the idea that the BRT could improve transit access for residents who lack cars, but they voiced practical concerns. A task force member who identified herself as a Lorton resident said sidewalks and safe crossings are missing in parts of Hagel Circle and observed, "I worry about them all the time," describing residents who must walk in the roadway to reach buses. Another member raised vehicle‑turning constraints, noting that an articulated BRT vehicle would need significant road geometry to make turns safely on Pohick Road and Lorton Station Boulevard.

Members also flagged a cross-jurisdiction constraint: an improved crossing at the Occoquan River would involve Prince William County because the existing bridge and right-of-way are outside Fairfax County’s authority. Several participants asked staff to verify right‑of‑way limits and to coordinate with Prince William County staff before assuming a southern extension can remain in dedicated BRT lanes.

Staff committed to returning to the task force with a fuller transportation packet and more detailed cross‑sections and operational analysis. Burke told the group he would present the deeper transportation discussion at the next task force meeting in three weeks. "We can give a sneak peek for 3 weeks from now when we come back with a more full transportation," he said.

Next steps: staff will prepare comparative performance and engineering analyses—turning radii, run‑time impacts for through riders, and potential feeder‑route reconfigurations—for discussion on Feb. 26. The task force did not take any formal action on the routing at the Feb. 5 meeting.