Shirley Gate Road Extended Corridor Planning Study

County of Fairfax, Virginia

Department of Transportation

Shirley Gate Road Extended Corridor Planning Study

Public Information Meeting12/07/2015


Agenda• Introductions• Project Purpose and Need • Existing Conditions Overview• Screening of Alternatives• Traffic Forecasting• Alignment and Interchange Concept Development:

Preferred Alignment• Benefits• Mitigation Considerations• Next Steps• Questions/Comments

Department of Transportation 2




Project Purpose and Need• The Shirley Gate Road Extension was

added to the Transportation Map in the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan in July 1991. It is in Area III, Pohick Planning District and the Twin Lakes Community Planning Sector (P1). The plan text specifies:

– Extend Shirley Gate Road southward to connect with the Fairfax County Parkway. Shirley Gate Road Extended should be designed to utilize the existing easements to the extent possible to minimize the impact on the five acre lots and the existing homes on Meath Court.

• There is a need to relieve congestion on Fairfax County Parkway by replacing the Popes Head Road intersection with an interchange.

• Need to provide access to Patriot Park East, avoiding entrance off Braddock Road through an established neighborhood and existing wetland area.

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.




Analysis of Existing ConditionsLOS and Approximate 95th Percentile Queue Lengths




Crash AnalysisPopes Head Road

Intersection Crash RatesAverage Intersection Crash Rates

along Fairfax County Parkway




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



Existing, 2040 No Build, and 2040 Build Volumes

8

NNOT TOSCALE

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]


1,700(2,400)[4,300]


No Build vs. Build Forecast (2040) Volume Change

9

NNOT TOSCALE

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%



Alignment and Interchange Options


Option 1A Option 1B Option 1C


Option 2A (2)

0 250 500 1,000Feet

N

Alignment Option

Cul-de-Sac

Option 2A (1)

Potential 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


PreferredAlignment

Northern Alignment 1B

Southern Alignment 2A (1)



Potential Park

Access



Benefits of Shirley Gate Road Extension and Interchange Improvements

• Reduced traffic volumes along area roadways/intersections– Popes Head Road– Braddock Road– Route 123– Intersection of Route 123 and Braddock Road

• Reduced travel times along Fairfax County Parkway (FCP) and Popes Head Road

• Improved safety at FCP/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




Mitigation Considerations

• Follow-up Analysis/Coordination regarding Shirley Gate Road Driveway Access (Route 29 to Braddock Road)

• Continuing efforts to improve intersection operations– Shirley Gate Road/Route 29 (Lee Highway)– Waples Mill Road/Route 50 (through Transform66 implementation)

• Coordination with City of Fairfax in update of Transportation Plan– Consideration of 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 Visioning Project




• Public Hearing Process associated with amending the Comprehensive Plan• Submit Plan Amendment Nomination to Planning Commission and Board of

Supervisors• Follow-up Analysis/Coordination regarding Shirley Gate Road Driveway

Access (Route 29 to Braddock Road)• Begin design - 2016

Next Steps


Shirley Gate Road Extended Corridor Planning Study

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