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VDOT Announces Road Design that Undermines Tysons Corner Replanning ProcessHostile Environment for Pedestrians will Lead to Lower Ridership and Higher Subsidies

A just received letter from the Virginia Department of Transportation indicates that VDOT intends to expand Routes 7 and 123 into 8-lane (plus double left turn lane) roadways that will create a hostile environment for pedestrians and bicyclists.  VDOT first showed this design to the Tysons Corner Task Force on May 21st.  The Task Force expressed significant concerns about the design, which could completely undermine the replanning of Tysons Corner for transit-oriented development.  At the June 4th presentation to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, representatives of the Dulles Rail project showed sterile station designs in the middle of and adjacent to these large roadways.“The proposed designs for the Tysons Corner stations and surrounding roadways demonstrate that VDOT/VDRPT and the project engineers fail to understand how to design an effective transit system,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.“The project station illustrations show a landscape dominated by 10-lane, high speed roadways, too few crossings, and a very hostile environment for pedestrians and bicyclists,” said Allen Muchnick of the Virginia Bicycling Federation.

If people do not enjoy the walk to and from the stations, they will be far less likely to use transit.   Fewer transit riders mean more cars and traffic, higher costs per rider and higher subsidies.  “If we are going to spend up to $2.7 billion, then let’s get this done right,” said Roger Diedrich of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club.  “The tunnel option should be kept alive so that we can achieve better urban design for Tysons Corner, include the option for express tracks, and maximize transit ridership and pollution reduction.”

“There is overwhelming public agreement that the tunnel is the best system for Tysons Corner, because most people recognize that the tunnel allows for better urban design.  It would allow us to match the success of the underground system in Arlington’s Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor,” said Douglas Stewart of FABB.  “But a big part of that success is also tied to having the right scale and designs for the surrounding streets and roads.”

“We see VDOT’s proposed roadway designs to be a fatal flaw for the rail project.  This problem must be addressed or both the Tysons redesign process and the rail system itself could fail,” concluded Schwartz.

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Dulles Rail Project presentation to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, June 4, 2007 (see slides 6 to 22)
Coalition for Smarter Growth sign-on letter to Virginia Department of Transportation about Tysons Corner roadways.