ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Plans are on the drawing boards to transform Richmond Highway in Alexandria, which call for a nearly 9-mile Bus Rapid Transit system from the Huntington Metro Station to Fort Belvoir.
It would take about 10 years and cost about $720 million dollars to widen the roadway and install the BRT, along with pedestrian and bicycle paths. Vehicle travel lanes would expand from four lanes to six.
“This is a chance to take a 20th century highway and bring it to the 21st century,” said Fairfax County Board Supervisor Dan Storck.
Members of the public got a look at the plans at a county informational meeting, Tuesday night at West Potomac High School. A second public informational meeting is scheduled Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Mount Vernon High School.
“The Richmond highway corridor is one of our heaviest transit corridors in the county,” said Tom Biesiadny, director of the Fairfax County of Transportation.
The future Bus Rapid Transit project is expected to improve transportation along the busy roadway and also stimulate development.
“We would anticipate that there will be a significant amount of redevelopment that’s occurring in the corridor and the Bus Rapid Transit will provide the support for that,” said Biesiadny.
