The proposed plan to expand Little River Turnpike has one and only one goal, to accommodate more and more cross county commuter traffic and move it through the LIttle River corridor as quickly and as unencumbered as possible.  There is NO consideration shown for the residents and businesses of Annandale.  This proposal will greatly hinder the people of Annandale while killing off easy access to Annandale merchants.

Just imagine driving from Fairfax to Annandale on your way home.  You wish to take a left on Hummer Road  or to access roadways to Falls Church?  Under this new plan, you will be driving many more minutes while all but circumnavigating the western banks of Annandale traveling through one traffic circle to another.  THIS PROPOSAL IS NUTS and we can only hope that the leadership in Mason District will stand up and fight for the rights of our citizens.  What do you think about replacing Cannon Park in the heart of Annandale with one of these atrocious traffic circles?  The current roadway works wonderfully, so why change?  

A second proposal is equally objectionable where most left turns are blocked along Little River from Hummer Road to downtown. What about the residents that need to access a direct route to their homes?  Other detour type routes and traffic circles are proposed taking you further from your destination every single day.  Yet, the commuter traffic will race through our community unfettered while eliminating the much needed access roads that provide easy entrance and inter-parcel access to the merchants on which you depend.

These access roads also provide a calmer direct route for the local residents keeping them off Little River.  Without them, we will be forced to join what will become a Freeway.  Designers of this plan intentionally market a massive misdirect by calling the expanded Little River a Boulevard.  Sounds nice but this is not Paris.  Have no doubt, this will be a Freeway and one that is far harder for pedestrians to cross no matter how many cross walks are striped. 

The breadth of Little River does not allow anyone to cross all lanes in one go.  Waiting on the median for another round of changing lights is necessary and dangerous.  Pedestrian accessibility in Annandale is all but non existent right now.  The most dangerous spots have always been when attempting to cross both Columbia Pike and Little River.  Recently we have also experienced such distracted and high volume driving that fatalities have occurred on sidewalks.  The next victim, and there will be more, could be you!  This new road plan does not improve pedestrian accessibility although there are lofty claims that it is one of the goals.  If in fact that is more than lip service, that goal deserves a grade of (F) Failure. 

As to Roundabouts the research shows serious concerns about safety, so much so that in England where Roundabouts have existed in plenty for more than 100 years, they are now disappearing because of serious safety concerns. 

They are not as safe as traditional crossings for either pedestrians or bicyclists and they are not meant for higher speed roadways since entry speeds on each leg of the intersection should not exceed 15-18 mph.  Roundabouts are also not designed for multilane road intersections which all of the roadways displayed for inclusion in this proposal are multilane.  Raises even more questions about creating safe road conditions.

Ten years ago when a less dramatic version of this plan was first proposed, a compromise was reached to create an inner loop for the residents of Annandale so we would be able to avoid much of the commuter traffic and easily access our neighborhoods and merchants.  That Inner-Annandale Loop has been abandoned.  Do not be deceived, there is NOTHING in this plan that will benefit the people of Annandale.

Annandale Road to Backlick

We will forever be going around in circles.  Have you seen the shockingly ugly Roundabout on Ravensworth Road that VDOT installed?  If they can not install even one attractive “roundabout” what horror awaits with these circles littering every roadway?

The photos in this article only show some of the planned changes and circles to be added.  Two particularly ridiculous examples are replacing Cannon Park with an ugly circle, and the second is one on Hummer Road and Championship Drive.  That portion of the roadway works wonderfully since a long left turn lane was added.  This proposal does not add function, only a hideous sight cluttering our landscape.

DOT Extends Route 236/Little River Turnpike STARS Study Comment Period
By public request, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is extending the comment period for the Route 236/Little River Turnpike STARS Study from May 31 through Sunday, June 12, 2022. This STARS (Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions) Study is assessing potential cost-effective measures to improve safety and reduce congestion during morning and evening peak periods for approximately four miles of Route 236/Little River Turnpike, between I-495 in Annandale and I-395 in Alexandria.  For more information, and to access the survey in English, Korean, and Spanish, visit www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/route236stars.asp  Make certain to add a note in the comment area that neither proposal is acceptable!

For more photos of other intersections, go to the VDOT Northern Virginia page or the Route 236 STARS Study.