South Street Extension

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This consultation has concluded. Thank you for your comments.

The city is seeking comments on the proposal to apply for funding for the South Street extension, which will extend South Street between University Drive and Chain Bridge Road, and signalize the new intersection at Chain Bridge Road. Pedestrian connectivity will be enhanced by the creation of smaller blocks, and vehicular traffic will be spread out across major intersections in Old Town.

Staff will seek City Council’s endorsement of the project in June before submitting a Smart Scale funding application to the Virginia Department of Transportation in August. If awarded, the funding would become available in fiscal year 2026, and construction would occur approximately two years later.

Please use the tools below to share your comments and ask questions.

Coordinating with Fairfax County 

The extended street will connect directly to the Fairfax County Judicial Complex, which is being redeveloped. As part of the redevelopment, the main entrance into the complex will be relocated to the north to align with the extension. This will enable more integration between the city and county street networks.

Realizing the Plans 

This project was recommended in the city’s Multimodal Transportation Plan and Old Town Fairfax Small Area Plan, and subsequently adopted into the Two-Year Transportation Program, which is the City’s action list of projects to pursue for external transportation funding.

Managing Impacted Properties

The building in which the Humane Society is located will be removed to make way for the new connection. The city is also working with other impacted property owners to mitigate impacts to the extent possible.


Two-Year Transportation Program

The South Street Extension project was included in the fiscal year 2022-23 Two-Year Transportation Program(External link) adopted by Fairfax City Council on June 22, 2021. The projects in the program are eligible for regional, state, and federal funding consideration over the next 2-10 years.

The projects recommended in the program include bicycle, pedestrian, trail, transit, intersection, and roadway improvements, all of which balance local and regional transportation needs, improve connectivity, and facilitate livability.

The city is seeking comments on the proposal to apply for funding for the South Street extension, which will extend South Street between University Drive and Chain Bridge Road, and signalize the new intersection at Chain Bridge Road. Pedestrian connectivity will be enhanced by the creation of smaller blocks, and vehicular traffic will be spread out across major intersections in Old Town.

Staff will seek City Council’s endorsement of the project in June before submitting a Smart Scale funding application to the Virginia Department of Transportation in August. If awarded, the funding would become available in fiscal year 2026, and construction would occur approximately two years later.

Please use the tools below to share your comments and ask questions.

Coordinating with Fairfax County 

The extended street will connect directly to the Fairfax County Judicial Complex, which is being redeveloped. As part of the redevelopment, the main entrance into the complex will be relocated to the north to align with the extension. This will enable more integration between the city and county street networks.

Realizing the Plans 

This project was recommended in the city’s Multimodal Transportation Plan and Old Town Fairfax Small Area Plan, and subsequently adopted into the Two-Year Transportation Program, which is the City’s action list of projects to pursue for external transportation funding.

Managing Impacted Properties

The building in which the Humane Society is located will be removed to make way for the new connection. The city is also working with other impacted property owners to mitigate impacts to the extent possible.


Two-Year Transportation Program

The South Street Extension project was included in the fiscal year 2022-23 Two-Year Transportation Program(External link) adopted by Fairfax City Council on June 22, 2021. The projects in the program are eligible for regional, state, and federal funding consideration over the next 2-10 years.

The projects recommended in the program include bicycle, pedestrian, trail, transit, intersection, and roadway improvements, all of which balance local and regional transportation needs, improve connectivity, and facilitate livability.

Comments

Please share your comments on the proposal to extend South Street between University Drive and Chain Bridge Road.

This consultation has concluded. Thank you for your comments.

I'd far rather see the money spend on speed enforcement. Commuters speed up and down Chain Bridge Road laughing at the speed limit signs, and those cars make walking on the road unsafe for the local taxpayers. Do you really think the folks who fly through red lights will stop so folks can walk across those four lanes of traffic?

quinn about 2 years ago

This is a great idea. It will essentially extend Old Town south a block and break up the superblock, and will be used frequently by pedestrians. I just hope it's fronted by small scale stores, rather than the larger office buildings in the transition district.

Nick over 2 years ago

1. Take additional land along the south side of the South Street Extension, to allow for angle-in parking and possible future bike lanes on both sides. The cost of acquiring it now would be modest compared with the cost once the parking lot south of the extension is redeveloped.

2. Plan to accommodate a future street extending north to Sager Avenue and south to a new east-west connecting street across the south side of the office building at 4084 University Drive (and through the property at 4101 Chain Bridge Road). University and 123 diverge as they go south, and more connecting streets are needed to accommodate future development of the southern portion of the Suntrust/Truist property and---more importantly---to facilitate pedestrian movement in and through the area.

3. Plan to condemn the remaining (small) portion of Suntrust/Truist surface parking lot north of the South Street Extension along with the brick office building at 4031 Chain Bridge Road and its surface parking lot for a multi-level parking garage built into the side of the hill, with retail frontage on Chain Bridge Road. The additional public parking would allow for redeveloping the small surface public parking lots in the area for a more attractive use.

Mark Towery over 2 years ago

Concur with Sabrina. Too many traffic lights.

Tom over 2 years ago

The last thing this city needs is more traffic lights.

bbicknell over 2 years ago

Overall I think it's a good plan. I am very concerned about the businesses that will be impacted, especially the Humane Society.

Pam Jones over 2 years ago

Great idea! But we need less red lights more traffic circles or other traffic measures. Getting through the city at any hour already takes forever due to traffic lights

Sabrina over 2 years ago

Highly support but the cross section seems very wide. 12' lanes and 10' parking lanes are too wide! 10-11' lanes and narrower (7-8' inc. gutterpan) parking lanes should be sufficient and help slow traffic.

MLD over 2 years ago

It makes all the sense in the world to create this new street connection. The area between Sager and City Hall currently feels like a placeless sea of parking lots, but it has some lovely spaces such as the Business Benefits Group building and the exquisite treed area behind it. With a little work this area could become somewhere you'd actually like to spend time and walk around. Connecting the Judicial Center with the rest of the city through this one-block extension of South would fill one big piece of the puzzle, and provide a spark for the nearby landowners to do more to realize the value of their properties.

Douglas Stewart over 2 years ago

I favor this project. The extension will create a better pedestrian experience as well as divert some traffic from Main Street and North Street.

M F over 2 years ago

Yes, some sort of connection should be made here, the parking lot is a waste of precious downtown space

Hikaruchu over 2 years ago

I'm glad to see one of the City's many unused parking lots being put to active use! Will it be possible to relocate the Humane Society to another place in Old Town? I would be sorry to see it go.

fairfaxer over 2 years ago

It doesn't make sense to make this change. We already have Sager and Armstrong and both streets have minimal traffic. It would be a great expense with little benefit and would create additional headaches for pedestrians. A pedestrian corridor would make more sense. The money could be better spent.

Ideally Roberts Rd. would be connected to Layton Hall drive through Farcroft - that would provide the most benefit. But that will never be done because the residents of Farrcroft are well off and a city council member lives there. The city should have demanded that road be built through Farrcroft when the property was developed 20 years ago.

City of Fairfax Resident over 2 years ago

Wonderful improvement to the City traffic flow! I just wish the schedule could be accelerated.

Art over 2 years ago

This is a great idea and will significantly improve traffic flow through our city. Thank you!

Fairfaxfan over 2 years ago