Fairfax County explains how it will prioritize $100 million for sidewalks, crossings and trails; public comment open through March 31

Fairfax County transportation planners on a virtual public meeting outlined how the county will narrow about 3,000 candidate active-transportation projects to a small set eligible for a $100 million county pledge and asked residents to weigh in on the shortlist before survey deadlines.

The presentation, led by Sandy Klandfer of the county’s Active Transportation team, said the 2021 Board of Supervisors pledge of $100,000,000 will fund sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian signals and other capital improvements; staff reported that $56.7 million has already been allocated, $25.4 million has been approved but not yet assigned to specific projects, and roughly $18 million remains to be approved later in the prioritization process. "Surveys are open through 04:30PM on 03/31/2026," Klandfer said, directing residents to an interactive map and nine district-specific online surveys.

Why it matters: the process will directly influence which local streets get new sidewalks, crossings or trail connections and which projects remain unfunded. Staff said the prioritization is intended to distinguish among many projects that all aim to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and access.

How projects are scored: FCDOT described a four-step process. Step 1 assigns "need" and "demand" scores via spatial analyses (need uses demographic factors such as race, income, disability, age, housing-cost burden and educational attainment; demand uses geographic factors such as population and employment density and proximity to schools, parks and hospitals). Step 3 applies three local analyses—proximity to pedestrian generators (quarter-mile), local connectivity (new or improved links), and regional trail value—and converts high/medium/low ratings to numeric scores that sum to a 3–9 total. Klandfer said crash data were also used as a tiebreaker for projects with identical scores.

Staff said shortlisted projects (about 14–16 per supervisor district) will undergo step-4 feasibility reviews that include rough cost estimates, property and environmental-impact checks, and public outreach. The final list of projects recommended for funding will go to the Board of Supervisors; staff indicated a decision on remaining allocations is expected in mid‑2026.

Public input and technical access: staff demonstrated an interactive map that shows project locations and step-1 and step-3 scores and said the map and project materials are available on the county website. Residents can comment via the district surveys, email DOTinfo@fairfaxcounty.gov, call (703) 890-5898 using project codes, or mail comments to Project Prioritization, 4050 Legato Road, Suite 400, Fairfax, VA 22033. When asked about where to find scores for projects not on the shortlist, staff said step-1 scores for all projects have not been published and that staff will provide project-specific scores on request.

Questions from residents highlighted usability and equity concerns. Diana Berlin asked why a reported missing-segment sidewalk on Birch Road (Project 111) did not appear updated on the map; staff said scores were last updated in the prior year, that step-3 had identified the location as within walking distance of two schools, and invited further detail via email or the survey for follow-up. A caller identified as Adam criticized the meeting format: "I've never been to a county meeting where you can't just raise your hand and talk on Microsoft Teams. This is very difficult setup and not really not conducive to hearing from the residents," he said; staff said they would share that feedback with the technical team.

Safety context: when asked whether pedestrian safety is explicitly listed as a separate prioritization factor, staff replied that "pedestrian safety ... is the overarching goal," adding that the scoring process is designed to differentiate safety benefits among many candidate projects. A resident asked about a recent pedestrian fatality on John Moore; staff said FCDOT holds standing meetings with the Fairfax County Police Department to review fatalities and to consider engineering or enforcement responses and site visits.

What comes next: staff will complete step-4 analyses, collect and analyze public feedback, and present recommended allocations for Board action. Residents who want to influence project selection were urged to complete district surveys (open through 04:30PM on 03/31/2026) or contact DOTinfo@fairfaxcounty.gov or (703) 890-5898 with project codes. The county will post the recorded presentation and a written Q&A from the meeting on the project web page.