Tag Archives: Fairfax County Parkway

Time to actually go 50 on the Fairfax County Parkway

Posted on by
Reply

Not saying that you might be traveling 55, 60 or more miles an hour on the Fairfax County Parkway. But, um, if you do you might want to drive 50 on the parkway, especially next week. Our county mounties have been nice enough to warn us they will be all over the parkway next week anxious to write tickets. Warning: they will be in unmarked vehicles:

The Traffic Division of the Operations Support Bureau and the Patrol Division of the Fairfax County Police Department will launch their weeklong initiative, “50 Means 50” as they saturate the Fairfax County Parkway next week.

The annual campaign kicks off on Sunday, April 21, and targets aggressive and reckless driving, speeding, texting while driving, following too closely, and failure to pay full time and attention on the Fairfax County Parkway. Last year, during the same time period, officers issued 714 citations on the Parkway for offenses in these categories.

Motor squad officers along with patrol officers from several district stations throughout the county will be assigned specific enforcement duties along the parkway.

A variety of vehicles will be utilized including: motorcycles, Mustangs, Camaros, Impalas, pick-up trucks and other unmarked and marked police vehicles.

The stepped-up enforcement will take place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The intent of the initiative is to reduce the overall average speed on the parkway and to reduce the number of property damage, injury, and fatal crashes, making the parkway a safer roadway.

Body found at site of grass fire at Fairfax County Parkway and Route 50

Posted on by
Reply

Looking forward to an explanation on this fire and death. It seems they are likely to be related:

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units responded to an outside fire, Sunday, April 7, 2013, at approximately 12:05 p.m. at Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway, and the Fairfax County Parkway, in the Fair Oaks area of Fairfax County. While fighting the fire, firefighters discovered the body of an unidentified adult male.

Firefighters encountered grass, brush, and several trees on fire near the east bound ramp of Lee-Jackson Highway to the Fairfax County Parkway upon arrival. Firefighters quickly brought the fire under control. After fire extinguishment, firefighters found a body in the area of the fire.

Fire investigators and police are jointly investigating the incident.

The medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of death following an autopsy.

Hooray! Overpass on Fairfax County Parkway over Fair Lakes Boulevard is complete!

Posted on by
Reply

It took a while, but the overpass on the Fairfax County Parkway over Fair Lakes Boulevard is now complete. Electronic signs are up warning that lanes have switched, there are plenty of orange cones to direct traffic and lots of cleanup work to do.

There is no cloverleaf at the intersection, so getting off on Fair Lakes Parkway and turning left still means dealing with a traffic light. But at least there is no more long traffic light delay at the intersection itself.

The work north of Route 50 is not yet done, and repaving is underway between Route 50 and Sully Road. But this bottleneck is largely over and in general the Fairfax County Parkway is getting spiffed up since most of it is being repaved this year.

Details.

VDOT warns of delays at Fair Lakes Parkway and Fairfax County Parkway

Posted on by
Reply

Heads up, Fairfax County commuters going to and from Oak Hill (and elsewhere). It’s time to lay some steel and that means traffic delays near Fair Lakes and the Fairfax County Parkway. Fortunately, it’s night work.

FAIRFAX ― Over the next two weeks, motorists should expect delays and detours at the Fairfax County Parkway and Fair Lakes Parkway from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. weeknights while crews erect beams for the bridges that will carry traffic over Fair Lakes Parkway and Monument Drive.
From May 7 to May 1l, motorists heading to the Fairfax County Parkway from Monument Drive will be detoured to West Ox Road between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. each night.

From May 14 to May 18, motorists will not be able to make left turns from Fair Lakes Parkway to Fairfax County Parkway from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night, nor will through traffic be permitted across Fairfax County Parkway from Fair Lakes Parkway. Fair Lakes Parkway traffic will be detoured onto Fair Lakes Circle.

The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2013. The $69.5 million interchange at Fairfax County Parkway and Fair Lakes Parkway will improve pedestrian and cyclist access, widen more than three miles of the Fairfax County Parkway, and improve traffic flow by separating local and Parkway traffic through this busy area. See the VDOT project page for more details.

 

Relief: left turns now allowed again on Fair Lakes Parkway

Posted on by
Reply

The new interchange being constructed at the corner of the Fairfax County Parkway and Fair Lakes Parkway is not yet complete. However, left turns now are allowed again from the Fairfax County Parkway. This will certainly ease the confusion trying to use the intersection.

For more information on the project, visit the project’s web site. It is scheduled to complete in 2013 at a cost of $69.5M.

Fairfax County Parkway to get a new route number – Route 287

Posted on by
Reply

Fortunately, the Fairfax County Parkway on which Oak Hill residents depend is not going anywhere. But its route number is changing, from 7100 to 287. Why? From a VDOT news release:

The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the transfer yesterday of the Fairfax County Parkway, Prince William Parkway and Franconia-Springfield Parkway to primary roads, making them eligible for new funding and maintenance priorities.

The parkway has been promoted into a real state road, apparently.

Roads may be considered for the transfer from secondary to primary when they meet a majority of certain criteria, such as carrying a minimum traffic volume; carrying a minimum percentage of out-of-state, truck, tractor-trailer, or bus traffic; and serving as a link for highways, county seats or sites of historic or scenic interest.

Also changing:

The Franconia-Springfield Parkway (Route 7900), which runs from Beulah Road to the Fairfax County Parkway, will be renamed Route 289. The 4-mile road carries between 53,000 and 57,000 vehicles per day.

The Prince William Parkway (Route 3000), which runs from Route 1 to Route 234, will be renamed Route 294.  The 16-mile road carries between 25,000 and 54,000 vehicles per day.

Worried you might get lost with the new signage? Not to worry:

Drivers will see the old route number alongside the new route number for about a year so that hotels, businesses, map companies, etc. have ample time to update their materials.