Chris Militzer/Miliman 12 Photography
Two major roadway projects in the Alexandria region received funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.
The Duke Street Transitway received $75 million, which completes its funding request.
Richmond Highway received $120 million (partial funding) for widening from the intersection of Jeff Todd Way north to the intersection of Buckman Road.
Fairfax County officials had requested $183.7 million for the Richmond Highway project and received $120 million. This is in addition to a previously received $128 million, but still falls short of the $372 million that Fairfax County had requested to complete the entire widening project (not counting the Bus Rapid Transit infrastructure).
The project will increase the number of through travel lanes while creating space for a median that can be used in the future for Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit. In addition, expect to see intersection improvements, two bridges replaced, additional safe pedestrian crossings and new bicycle paths and sidewalks.
The Duke Street Transitway application requested $75 million for "stations/shelters, buses, limited ROW [right-of-way], and utility relocation. It includes dedicated transit lanes along the corridor where six lanes exist today (between Landmark Mall and Jordan St. and between Roth St. and Diagonal Rd.). In the remaining section of Duke St. (between Jordan St and Roth St., transit will operate in mixed flow, and include queue jump lanes, and Transit Signal Priority (TSP) along the entire corridor to improve speed/reliability. The project will include new stations and pedestrian access and safety improvements at transit stations/intersections, and bike facilities as feasible."
More information on the Duke Street Transitway is available here.
In all, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority doled out $539 million in funding for multimodal transportation projects throughout Northern Virginia. Local governments and agencies had requested a total of $1.44 billion for various projects.
“All projects within the adopted FY2020-2025 Six Year Program are aimed at reducing congestion and getting people to their destinations faster, while benefiting the region at large,” according to a release from the Authority.
This is the fifth funding program spearheaded by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. With the previous four rounds, the Authority has granted $2.5 billion in transportation project funding.
