WASHINGTON — How do you envision the future of Va. 7, the 13-mile stretch from Tysons to Alexandria? Monday begins Phase Two of the Route 7 corridor transit study, the part where you get to give your ideas.
“We want to have a process that really allows people to dream with us, to envision what the corridor should look like,” says Kelley Coyner, executive director of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, which brings the region together to solve transportation issues.
“What we’re launching Monday is the opportunity for people to participate quickly through a range of different social media.”
The virtual “Envision Route 7” allows you to go on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and immediately submit ideas for how you envision the corridor when it comes to relieving traffic, Coyner says. NVTC representatives are available to come and speak to community groups and business groups of any size.
Phase One of the study got under way a year ago. At that time, Coyner says, they were looking at everything, including Metrorail and commuter rail options.
“At this point,” she says, “it would be light rail or … some form of rapid bus transit.”
The study includes all four jurisdictions through which the Route 7 corridor runs: Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Falls Church.
Coyner says that by the end of the study, the commission wants to be able to recommend several things.
“What kind of transit system should we have on Route 7; where should it go, and how do we make sure it’s one that is financially viable.”
In about a year, Coyner says, the recommendations from the study will be presented to the public for comment and review.
“The real goal here is to be able to move people efficiently through the corridor so they can get to work and home and to opportunities for recreation in a way that builds communities and supports economic development.”
