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Fairfax to submit STBG application to realign 80th Street intersection; council approves submission
Summary
Fairfax council approved moving forward with an MPO/STBG grant application to realign the 80th Street intersection for safety; the presenter said STBG could cover up to 80% of construction and the city would be responsible for the balance, with submission due by midnight Sunday.
Fairfax council members agreed to move forward with submitting a regional grant application to realign the intersection at 80th Street, a project presenter said is intended to increase safety by changing the intersection angle and adding turn lanes.
Presenter (S3) told council members the intersection is currently about 62 degrees and the recommended realignment angle is between 75 and 90 degrees; the application proposes a 75-degree realignment to improve safety. The project, as submitted in the city's packet, scored 59 and was the second-highest roadway project among those the city provided to the MPO.
Funding and schedule: The presenter said the project would rely on STBG federal funding that could cover "up to 80%" of construction costs; the city would be responsible for roughly 20% of construction plus engineering, property acquisition and planning costs. The presenter described the construction estimate in the application as a planning number and said it should be treated as approximate and subject to inflation and contingencies. The MPO submission deadline in the packet was described as "midnight on Sunday," with the MPO expected to make a funding decision by June or July and construction currently proposed for 2030 (the presenter said the earliest realistic start might be 2029 if design and acquisitions move quickly).
Council action: After discussion and clarification of alternatives and timeline, the council recorded assent to move forward with submitting the application. The presenter said the application would be submitted on the council's direction.
What to watch: MPO scoring and competing projects may shift this project's priority in future cycles, and the council discussed how project timing pushes cost estimates upward due to inflation. Acquisition and environmental review (appraisals, archaeological and environmental reviews) will add time and cost before construction can begin.
