This presentation on the Shirley Gate Road extension was presented to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Transportation Committee on July 19, 2016.

1. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study
Community Meeting
July 19, 2016

2. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Agenda
• Introductions
• Project Purpose and Need
• Existing Conditions Overview
• Alignment and Interchange Concept Development
• Benefits
• Mitigation Considerations
• Next Steps
• Questions/Comments
2
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study

3. County of Fairfax, Virginia
3
Project Purpose and Need
• The Shirley Gate Road
Extension has been on
County’s Transportation
Plan since 1991
• Grade-Separated
Interchanges on Fairfax
County Parkway needed
to relieve congestion and
improve safety.
Current plan calls for 2 interchanges. This project will
identify the preferred location of a single interchange along
with the alignment of the Shirley Gate Road extension.
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study

4. County of Fairfax, Virginia
4
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study

5. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Existing Conditions
5

6. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Department of Transportation
6
Analysis of Existing Conditions
LOS and Approximate 95th
Percentile Queue Lengths
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study

7. County of Fairfax, Virginia
7
Crash Analysis
Popes Head Road
Intersection Crash Rates
(total of 55 crashes*)
Average Intersection Crash Rates
along Fairfax County Parkway
(average crash rate of 25 per intersection*)
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study
*Fairfax County Parkway crash data from
2010-2013

8. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Existing, 2040 No Build, and 2040 Build Volumes
8
NNOT TO
SCALE
0
(0)
[15,500]
34,000
(33,900)
[34,400]
16,000
(13,900)
[14,500]
39,000
(45,000)
[46,600]
35,000
(54,100)
[50,800]
72,000
(102,000)
[100,500]
71,000
(98,600)
[107,500]
Roadway Segment
Shirley Gate Road Extension
2014 Existing Link Volume (veh/day)
(2040 No Build Daily Link Volume (veh/day))
[2040 Build Daily Link Volume (veh/day)]
XX,XXX
(XX,XXX)
[XX,XXX]
25,000
(26,900)
[24,000]
3,400
(3,800)
[3,400]
44,000
(60,500)
[54,600]
31,000
(42,100)
[34,900]
31,000
(38,400)
[32,300]
7,200
(17,700)
[22,200]
20,000
(26,200)
[29,200]
Network Assumptions:
No Build
•Fairfax County Parkway: 6 Lanes
•Braddock Road: 6 Lanes (east of FCP)
Build (in addition to No Build)
•Shirley Gate Road Extension: 4 Lanes
•Interchange with FCP on Shirley Gate Road
Extension Alignment
66,000
(80,900)
[85,400]
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study
1,700
(2,400)
[4,300]
28,000
(45,900)
[45,300]

9. County of Fairfax, Virginia
No Build vs. Build Forecast (2040) Volume Change
9
NNOT TO
SCALE
Roadway Segment Daily Volume Change
(2040 Build vs. 2040 No Build)
Volume Increase of More Than 5%
Volume Increase of 0-5%
Volume Decrease of 0-5%
Volume Decrease of More Than 5%
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study

10. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Comparable Road Traffic Volumes
• Clifton Road (Rt. 29 to Braddock Rd) 16,000 vpd
• Clifton Road (Braddock Rd to Popes Head Rd)
8,900 vpd
• Old Colchester Rd. (Popes Head Rd. to Braddock Rd)
3,200 vpd
• Compton Rd. (Union Mill Rd to Clifton Rd) 1,600 vpd
• Popes Head Road (Fairfax County Parkway to Route
123) 3,400 vpd
(Source: Shirley Gate Study and VDOT Count Data)10

11. County of Fairfax, Virginia
2015 Study of Alignment Options for
Shirley Gate Road Extended and
Interchange Options
11

12. County of Fairfax, Virginia
12
Stakeholder Screening of Alternatives
• Five meetings held between May and September 2015
– Guided the development of measures of effectiveness (MOEs)
– Provided adjustments to weighting values
• Major categories of MOEs used for alignment selection:
– Impacts to Adjacent Properties
– Impacts on Transportation System
– Cost
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study

13. County of Fairfax, Virginia
December 2015 Public Meeting
• 100+ Attendees
• Existing Traffic Issues
• Future Traffic Network
• Prior input from Stakeholders on Measures of
Effectiveness(MOEs), used in evaluation of future road
alignments and interchange concepts
• Next Steps
13

14. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Alignment and Interchange Options
14
Option 1A Option 1B Option 1C
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study
Option 2A (2)
0 250 500 1,000
Feet
N
Alignment Option
Cul-de-Sac
Option 2A (1)
Potentia
l Park
Access
Potential
Park
Access
Option 2A/2B
Potential
Park
Access
*
Future Traffic Signal
Future Intersection
(traffic control TBD)
Future Local Road
Interchange Ramp
Proposed Bridge

15. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Selected
Alignment
Northern Alignment 1B
Southern Alignment 2A (1)
15
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study
Potential
Park
Access

16. County of Fairfax, Virginia
16
Current
Plan
Refined
Plan
Two
circles
denoting
inter-
changes
at Shirley
Gate Rd
extension
and
Popes
Head Rd
One circle
denoting
inter-
change at
Shirley
Gate Rd
extension
with an
overpass
over Popes
Head Rd
Specific
alignment
Generic
alignment

17. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Legend
Alignment and Interchange Option
17
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study
0 250 500 1,000
Feet
N
Alignment Option
Cul-de-Sac
Option 3
Potential
Park
Access
Future Traffic Signal
Future Intersection
(traffic control TBD)
Future Local Road
Interchange Ramp
Proposed Bridge
`
At-grade roadway
2nd
level roadway
3rd
level roadway
Bidirectional roadway
One-way roadway
Interchange Lane Schematic

18. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Objectives for Design of Interchanges
• Allows Free Flow on Fairfax County
Parkway
• Accommodates Shirley Gate Extension
and accommodates all movements
• Provides Access to Patriot Park
• Minimizes Impact to Adjacent Properties
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19. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Patriot Park Access
19

20. County of Fairfax, Virginia
20
Benefits of Shirley Gate Road Extension and
Interchange Improvements
• Reduced traffic volumes along area roadways/intersections
– Braddock Road
– Route 123
– Intersection of Route 123 and Braddock Road
– Popes Head Road (north of FCP)
• Improved safety at FCP/Popes Head Road
• Reduced travel times along Fairfax County Parkway (FCP) and
Popes Head Road
• Improved accessibility to FCP for Popes Head Road residents
• Improved access to the west end of the City of Fairfax/Fair Oaks
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study

21. County of Fairfax, Virginia
21
Mitigation Considerations
• Follow-up Analysis/Coordination regarding Shirley Gate Road Access
(Route 29 to Braddock Road)
• Continuing efforts to improve intersection operations
– Shirley Gate Road/Route 29 (Lee Highway)
– Waples Mill Road/Route 50 (possibly through Transform66
implementation)
• Coordination with City of Fairfax
– Extending Government Center Parkway to Jermantown Road
– Widening of Jermantown Road north of Route 50 to four lanes
• Identification of improvements during imminent Fairfax County Parkway
Long Term Study
• Address access for residential streets that only access the Parkway
• Address geometric issues (vertical & horizontal) on Popes Head Rd. west of
Fairfax County Parkway
Shirley Gate Road Extended
Corridor Planning Study

22. County of Fairfax, Virginia
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• Design - Fairfax County Parkway Widening (Route 29 to
Route 123 (VDOT to advertise design contract summer
2016)
• Extensive Public Involvement throughout design and
construction
• Funding
• $20 million approved to date for Design and Right-of-Way
• ($10 million approved by NVTA on July 14, 2016)
• Comprehensive Plan Amendment – Defer pending
design completion
Next Steps

23. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Questions?
Alan Kessler
Leonard Wolfenstein
Fairfax County Department of Transportation
Alan.Kessler@FairfaxCounty.gov
(703) 877-5600
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