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Fairfax County supervisor outlines short- and long-term traffic measures for Clifton; school future remains unclear
Summary
Supervisor Pat Herrity briefed the council on immediate traffic-safety steps—extra enforcement, message signs and sign studies—and long-term corridor projects. He also said Clifton Elementary needs remediation and the county has not assumed ownership; he expressed a desire to see it re-open as a school.
Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity presented an update on traffic and safety concerns affecting Clifton, outlining short-term enforcement and signage options and long-term regional projects that could reduce cut-through traffic.
Herrity said short-term measures under consideration include increased police presence in and around town, posting variable message signs to warn drivers, collecting speed data, and pursuing a sign study for a pedestrian safety zone near the railroad crossing; he noted that adding a posted speed limit on Kincheloe Road was under review. Herrity said the county is evaluating locations for enforcement zones and that an additional $200 fine for speeding could be added but would require a community request followed by a study.
Long-term solutions Herrity described include elimination of the Popes Head interchange, widening portions of Fairfax County Parkway (with a 2022 target mentioned for related corridor work) and a funded project to widen Route 28. He said signage in Prince William County would be used to direct traffic to main roads rather than surface streets through Clifton, and that a planned pedestrian trail to Route 123 could draw cyclists off the roadway.
On the future of the vacant Clifton Elementary School, Herrity said substantial remediation is required before reuse is feasible and that the school system remains responsible for the property because the Board of Supervisors has refused to assume ownership; he said he would like to see the site re-opened as a school. Herrity also told councilmembers he would ask his staff to follow up on specific paving and drainage concerns near the railroad tracks and on Chapel Street raised by Councilmember Wayne Nickum.
Next steps include county staff follow-up on paving and safety studies and coordination with VDOT and town staff on signage and enforcement possibilities.
