Friday, March 22, 2013
The tunnel settled about 1 inch but officials say it is safe and will not affect service.
The Silver Line tunnel under Tysons Corner is safe and will not need more work, according to a recent engineering study. The Fairfax Times reports officials at the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority recently noticed the tunnel had settled about an inch into the soil. Contractors and an independent engineer conducted the new study to make sure the tunnel wouldn’t be too narrow to fit trains. The tunnel runs Silver Line trains under the busy intersection of Route 123 and Route 7 in Tysons Corner. According to the Times, MWAA President and CEO Jack Potter said the settling was normal and repairs on the tunnel would not be necessary. Potter also said there was no reason to be concerned for safety. Nonetheless, an update on the review …
Friday, March 15, 2013
The Silver Line's first phase is on schedule to take riders to Reston by December 2013; a construction contract for Phase II should be awarded in May.
The first phase of the Silver Line is on schedule to be taking Metro passengers as far as Reston in December 2013, officials confirmed this week. During a Tuesday meeting of Fairfax County’s commission for the Phase I Transportation Improvement District, Mark Canale, Dulles Rail Project Manager for the county’s Department of Transportation, said construction on the first phase is about 89 percent complete. Canale told the commission, led by Chairman Sharon Bulova, that 98 percent of tracks for the extension from East Falls Church to Wiehle Ave in Reston have been laid down. Some track work remains, as well as construction on garages and stations, but Canale said service in December was looking very likely. The West Falls Church rail yard …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Tuesday meeting will highlight six proposed routes, which officials hope will help residents and commuters better access Metro.
How do you get to the Metro? By the end of this year, the answer could be by bus. Six proposed bus routes will be the highlight of Tuesday's "Vienna At Your Service" meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Flame Room at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. Fairfax County Department of Transportation members will be on hand to go over the routes. The county’s 2010 Transit Development Plan recommends 12 new routes be added to Tysons, McLean and Reston in concert with the opening of the new Metro line. It recommends 21 other routes be tweaked and six more be eliminated. Officials are seeking input on not only the routes themselves, but also on safety, access to bus stops and the length of the ride. The routes potentially coming to Vienna, …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Metro and redevelopment will bring more crime to Fairfax County — which could require dozens more officers and a new station to help police the area's 1.1 million residents.
With massive redevelopment on the horizon, Fairfax County officials are starting to imagine ways to step up the police presence in the area — including where to build a brand new police station. The first phase of the Silver Line is expected to open at the end of 2013, and while it will help drive the county’s economy, it will also bring crime, says Fairfax County Police Captain Daniel Janickey, an officer in the McLean District Station. Janickey says the county needs to prepare for increases in robberies, assault, theft, property destruction and stolen vehicles, as well as a rise in illegal parking and traffic accidents. In order to effectively enforce the law and deter criminals from coming to Northern Virginia, Janickey recommended …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Fairfax County officials host program as part of weeklong outreach effort around bus service to the Metro line.
Fairfax County officials answered residents’ questions Tuesday regarding the first half of the Silver Line and the new Connector bus routes that will launch when the Metro line opens at the end of the year. Nick Perfili, Dulles Rail Project Planner, and Christy Wegener, Connector’s manager of operations, led the discussion, part of a weeklong effort to gather input on the many changes coming to Connector service in the area. The Fairfax County Department of Transportation’s (FCDOT) plan includes the addition of 12 new routes and restructuring of 20 existing routes, as well the elimination of six others. One chatter in Tuesday's discussion asked about Route 722, which would run down narrow Churchill Road and past Churchill Road Elementary …
Vienna commuters may spend an extra $1,398 per year in gas and time sitting in traffic, according to report from Texas Transportation Institute.
We’re No. 1 — but it's not something to brag about. Traffic congestion in the Washington, DC metro area has been ranked worst in the country by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). The study rates our region’s traffic worse than San Francisco-Oakland, Los Angeles, New York-Newark and Boston. This is not the first time D.C. has been ranked No. 1: The area tied with Chicago for the honor in 2011. TTI’s Urban Mobility Report, released Tuesday, includes a “Planning Time Index,” which measures “travel reliability.” That factor designates “the amount of extra time needed to arrive on time for higher priority events, such as an airline departure, just-in-time shipments, medical appointments or especially important social commitments.” “PTIs…
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Community offers feedback to proposed Fairfax County Connector routes, which will launch with the opening of the Silver Line later this year.
Vienna and Tysons area residents want Connector bus services in their communities, but residents don’t agree on how they want the routes to run once the first half of the Silver Line opens at the end of 2013. During a two-hour meeting at Westbriar Elementary School, Fairfax County Department of Transportation officials presented a series of proposed modifications to bus service to and from Silver Line stations. But residents raised concerns about route layouts, bus frequency, parking facilities and more. The meeting was one of several planned this week and over the next few months as the Board of Supervisors looks to approve bus service changes by May. The county’s 2010 Transit Development Plan recommends 12 new routes be added to Tysons, …
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Local meeting on Fairfax Connector plan will be held at Westbriar Elementary School.
Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff will be on hand Monday to listen to Vienna residents' input on a proposed Fairfax Connector bus service plan that will start when service on phase 1 of the Silver Line opens. Fairfax County DOT’s plan includes the addition of 12 new routes and restructuring of 20 existing routes, as well as eliminating six routes. The plan will be discussed at each of the public meetings scheduled, with emphasis on the routes in the vicinity of each meeting. Remaining meetings, held between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., include: All meetings are 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. • Falls Church: Tuesday Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Rd. • Herndon: Wednesday Herndon Town Council Chambers, 765 Lynn St. • Reston: Thursday, …
Dulles Rail Project and Fairfax Dept. of Transportation officials will answer residents' question about the Metro Silver Line and proposed bus services to it.
If you have any questions about the Dulles silver line rail project or related bus services in the area, you have a chance to get answers Tuesday. At 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nick Perfili, Dulles Rail Project Planner, and Christy Wegener, Fairfax Connector’s Manager of Operations, Planning and Customer Service with the county’s Department of Transportation, will host an online chat. You can submit questions in advance here. A transcript will be available after the chat. For the latest on Metro's plans throughout the region, see 'Metro Momentum Offers Expansive Plans for System's Future.' Keep up with transportation developments and more with the Vienna Patch email newsletter!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The primary obstacle for "Momentum," which includes a number of Orange Line projects, appears to be funding. What do you think about WMATA’s proposed capital plans? Tell us in the comments.
If you thought the Silver Line would continue to be the focus of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for the foreseeable future, think again. Metro has a proposed a series of improvements to help the system keep up with demand on other lines. For the past year and a half, the agency has been working to unveil "Momentum," a $26 billion spending plan that focuses on, among other things, creating new connections and bypassing others that are holding riders up. The Washington Post has a story here. For Orange Line riders, the Post details one proposed project that could make a huge difference for those on Vienna-bound trains: Planners suggest creating what they call the “Rosslyn bypass.” New tracks would be built west …
Charles Leven
8:52 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
There should be bus service along Beulah Road to one of the Metro stations. Beulah Road is no longer a country road, but is now a major Vienna/Fairfax thoroughfare, and bus service would give residents along it the means to get to the Metro without driving there. more ›