FAIRFAX, Va. – A town hall meeting to discuss the future of Fairfax County Parkway had one focus: Congestion.
Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity would like to keep the parkway from becoming a highway, but with worries it could become as crowded as Interstate 66, he thinks the changes could be forced.
“Unfortunately the parkway is, one of the county’s main streets, is quickly becoming a parking lot,” said Herrity.
A repaving project is wrapping up and improvements are coming, but big upgrades to the entire road will be costly.
“Funding is a significant challenge, not only for improvements to the Fairfax County Parkway, but county wide,” said Tom Biesiadny, director of the county’s transportation department.
The long term plan for Fairfax County is to make the parkway a six-lane road, but Herrity, who organized the meeting, believes it will have to be more like Route 28, with overpasses and underpasses in place of traffic lights.
Leonard Wolfenstein with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation says four future interchanges are planned beyond those currently under construction.
The meeting was held at the James W. Robinson Secondary School. The next community meeting will be Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the West Springfield Government Center (police station) and will cover I-495 Express Lanes.
WTOP’s Michelle Basch contributed to this report. Follow Michelle and WTOP on Twitter.
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