City Of Fairfax: Old Lee Highway Open House, Sept. 30

Press release from the City of Fairfax :

09/08/2021 3:13 PM

Fairfax City transportation staff will share the revised, recommended preliminary plan for the Old Lee Highway multimodal improvements project during an open house from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 at the Sherwood Center, located at 3740 Old Lee Highway in Fairfax.

The public is invited to view project designs, discuss ideas with staff, and leave written comments. This is a drop-in open house, with no formal presentation planned. Capacity will be limited to create a safe environment, so attendees are asked to stagger arrival times. Masks are required regardless of vaccination status.

Three major changes were made to the plan based on community feedback and direction from City Council:

Old Lee Highway Multimodal Improvements

Old Lee Highway features a variety of land uses along the corridor including three schools, a public library, community center, police department, Van Dyck Park, churches, Historic Blenheim, and multiple residential neighborhoods, and commercial activity centers anchoring both ends of the street at Fairfax Circle and Old Town Fairfax.

In 2015, the City of Fairfax completed a conceptual plan for Old Lee Highway after extensive public involvement. The result was a recommended concept for the corridor that includes separated bicycle lanes, upgraded pedestrian and transit amenities, and improved lighting, landscaping, and buffering. City staff are developing an engineered plan that includes the recommended components from the conceptual planning process.

While the configuration of the improvements have changed, the project goals have remained the same: to improve the look, feel, safety, and function of the entire corridor. Specific goals include:

When complete, Old Lee Highway will feature:

Stakeholder Advisory Group

City staff members worked with a stakeholder advisory group to provide input on the preliminary plans. The stakeholder advisory group included 18 volunteers representing the Preserve at Great Oaks, Historic Blenheim, Great Oaks, Old Lee Hills, St. Leo’s, Fairfax HS, Country Club Hills, Daniels Run ES, Christian Science Church, Army Navy Country Club, City Council, Daniels Run Peace Church, City School Board, Farrcroft, and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Cost and Funding

The estimated project cost is $25.2 million. Funding sources include state revenue sharing ($10 million), regional Northern Virginia Transportation Authority funding ($13 million), and the city’s commercial and industrial tax ($2 million) – a fund dedicated to increasing transportation capacity. Construction is tentatively scheduled to start in spring 2023.

For more information about this project, visit fairfaxva.gov/OldLeeHwy. Submit comments at engage.fairfaxva.gov. 

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.