Ideas for Improving Traffic Congestion in Northfax

One of the items on the agenda for Tuesday’s council meeting is a discussion of ideas for improving traffic flow at the intersections around Northfax (Eaton Place, Route 123, and Fairfax Boulevard). 

For a few years, the city has been proposing a cut though road between the service road next to the Best Western and Route 123, which would decrease the number of vehicles going through the Eaton Place/123 intersection and allow that light to be retimed to reduce congestion. This was seen as a small investment that could have a nominal effect on wait times. 

Unfortunately, VDOT recently rejected the proposal because of safety concerns related to the proximity of the cut-through to the I-66 interchange. The design portion of the project still has funding though, so rather than throw it away, the city sent the design consultant back to the drawing board to come up with alternative ways of improving flow in the area. They will be presenting eleven alternatives to the council on Tuesday. 

The concepts are very schematic and would have to go through traffic and environmental studies and public hearings before proceeding. Also, the consultant states that some of the concepts are based on “out of the box” thinking so the direction they take might be a combination of aspects from several of the scenarios. In summary, this is the first step in what could be a long process.

Take a look at the concepts and let us know what you think.  Here is a summary of my thoughts on these concepts…

Most intriguing

Concept 8:  Eliminating left turn movements from 123 onto Fairfax Boulevard, allowing those segments of the traffic signal cycle to be removed. The consultant’s concept recommends channeling all left turn movements onto Eaton Place and Warwick Avenue, though there are residential properties on Warwick, and the six-way intersection of Warwick, Mclean and Fairfax Boulevard that traffic would be directed to is already a bit of a mess.

But the Eaton Place route has potential, especially if it is combined with Concept 6: Extending University Drive to Eaton Place – as shown in the image. This would allow University Drive to be accessed from southbound 123 without ever getting on Fairfax Boulevard and would make for a shorter route for those trying to access the properties between Eaton Place and 123 (like Denny’s). 

The real benefit is that there would be more mobility options (with the University Drive extension), and traffic flow could improve without adding more traffic lanes and decreasing pedestrian safety.

Side note: The owner of the shopping center at the end of University Drive is interested in redeveloping that property.  A preliminary plan, which has since been stalled due to the recession, included the construction of the University Drive extension at the developer's expense.

Most realistic

Concepts 3 & 4: Adding an additional westbound through lane on Fairfax Boulevard from Eaton Place to 123 and adding a dual right turn lane from Eaton Place onto 123.  The westbound lane on Fairfax Boulevard has been in discussion for years (this is a good topic for a separate post).  Though I typically would prefer to see more creative measure to improving traffic flow than just adding lanes, these are two fixes that I just can’t argue with.   They are short segments that target specific choke points.

Least favorite

Concepts 9 & 10: Converting Eaton Place to one-way eastbound, or cutting off access completely at Fairfax Boulevard.  This idea decreases congestion on Eaton Place by making it so you can’t use it. 

The traffic that currently uses Eaton Place is forced through the Fairfax Boulevard/123 intersection which is already congested. Those traveling to between the office complexes on Eaton Place and Fairfax Boulevard are forced onto 123, significantly increasing travel time, especially for those heading east. As I mentioned above, the long term solution to traffic congestion is increasing mobility options, not restricting them.

Honorable mention

Concept 11: Access management.  This concept assumes that by reducing the number of driveways into commercial properties on main roads, there will be fewer in and out movements and traffic will be able to move more smoothly.  This is also a potential goal of the Fairfax Boulevard masterplan, and would improve pedestrian accessibility.  

The downside is that it would probably require a pretty big investment from the city (unless it was implemented as a requirement for property owners redeveloping their properties), and I don’t think the impact on traffic would be that significant.