Staff lays out street redesign options for Government Center Parkway, Monument Drive and Fair Lakes Parkway

At a task force meeting for the Fairfax Center Area Phase 3 study, Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff presented design options for three primary corridors in the core area—Government Center Parkway, Monument Drive and Fair Lakes Parkway—aimed at rebalancing space for drivers, transit users, cyclists and pedestrians.

Ashley Denner, a DOT presenter, outlined two options for each corridor. For Government Center Parkway (existing ~127-foot right-of-way), Option A preserves vehicle lanes while adding multiuse trails, buffered bike lanes (with vertical posts) and ADA-compliant transit stops; Option B widens the right-of-way further to create larger buffer yards and expanded multiuse trails. For Monument Drive (existing ~109-foot right-of-way), options included widening, added multiuse trails and, in the more intensive option, a two-way protected cycle track. For Fair Lakes Parkway (existing ~101-foot right-of-way), staff described options that add multiuse trails and protected cycle tracks and, in one option, a proposed road diet to five lanes that would require a transportation analysis to confirm vehicle-capacity impacts.

Coordination and constraints: staff repeatedly warned that many streets fall under state jurisdiction and require coordination with VDOT (the transcript used alternate spellings in places); any curb, signal or major right-of-way change would need interagency review. Denner and Tom Burke, senior transportation planner, said the concepts draw on adopted county guidance (active transportation and trails plans) and that the active-transportation plan was scheduled for a planning commission hearing on March 11 and Board review on May 5.

What was not decided: the task force did not adopt a preferred cross-section. Members raised safety concerns for pedestrians (citing a recent fatal crash) and emphasized that some facilities—especially protected cycle tracks and permanent physical separation—are preferred over stripe-only treatments. Staff said a formal transportation analysis would be required for any road-diet proposals.

Next steps: staff will incorporate task-force feedback into the transportation study and present results at the next round of meetings; any implementation will require coordination with state agencies and, if necessary, adjustments to the county's transportation maps.