Proposed Changes to Braddock Road

Fairfax County Department of Transportation's recent report on changes to Braddock Road recommended that no additional lanes should be built on Braddock from Guinea Road to the Beltway. Instead, a series of intersection improvements, including significant adjustments to the Burke Lake Road and Wakefield Chapel Road intersections, and access management techniques - making some unsignalized intersections right in right out only - should be built. These were the initial recommendations of the citizen task force that has studied the corrido over the last two years. County transportation staff concurred in the recommendations, which were presented to the community at a public meeting last night, sponsored by Supervisor Cook and attended by about 300 residents.

The task force also presented pedestrian and bicycle options, but not recommendations, which will come later in the spring. These include construction of mixed use paths on both sides of the road, completion of all missing trail connections, and one or more pedestrian overpasses. The group is especially interested in residents' opinions on pedestrian overpasses which have worked well in Arlington.

The task force set aside the question of whether to build a transit center. Once road and pedestrian recommendations are finalized, the group will consider transit center issues. Implementation of these recommendations would amount to only one-third the cost of adding lanes to the roadway, while significantly decreasing travel times.

The study was based on a 2040 planning horizon. Intersection and corridor improvements are estimated to cost $35 million.

This article first appeared in The ENDEAVOR News Magazine in April 2017.  Reproduction in whole or in part requires the written permission of the magazine.