A new express bus to get Northern Virginia workers to Tysons Corner is slated to start on Monday and a lunch-time shuttle to get them through the construction morass once there will begin later this month.
Both efforts are intended to reduce road congestion in the already traffic-clogged commercial hub that now faces an even bigger pinch as major road construction encroaches. The creation of HOT lanes on the Capital Beltway and the Dulles Rail extension of Metro are both tearing up the area.
The Buses
» Woodbridge-Tysons Corner Tysons Express: Starting Monday, the OmniRide buses will make four morning trips and four return trips each evening, with stops at the Woodbridge Virginia Railway Express Station and the Va. 123 Commuter Lot at I-95. The buses will be free for the first week, then half price for the first six months at $2.40 one-way with a SmarTrip card, or $3 cash fare. Details: www.prtctransit.org
» Tysons Corner Connector: The free shuttle, run by the Fairfax Connector bus service, will start Nov. 23 with service every 10 minutes on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on two routes:
¥ Tysons Connector I – Tysons Westpark Transit Station to Spring Hill Drive, Greensboro Drive, International Drive, Tysons Mall Loop, then returning to Tysons Westpark Transit Station on the same route.
¥ Tysons Connector II – Tysons Westpark Transit Station to Jones Branch Drive, Westpark Drive, Park Run Drive, Tysons Blvd, Galleria Drive, International Drive, Tysons Mall Loop, then returning to Tysons Westpark Transit Station on same route.
Details: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/routes/tysonsconnector.htm
An estimated 125,000 to 135,000 vehicles head into and out of Tysons Corner each day, said Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Titunik. Cars clog the area during the morning and evening commutes, and also midday when workers swarm the streets to get lunch.
“Walking isn’t the easiest thing to do around there,” Titunik said. “They’ve got broad avenues to cross.”
State and regional officials have been trying to find ways to solve the long-term congestion problems there and improve connections with the rest of the region. But in the meantime the two primary projects to do so are making matters worse.
State and regional officials have been trying to find ways to solve the long-term congestion problems there and improve connections with the rest of the region. But in the meantime the two primary projects to do so are making matters worse.
Officials are building extra lanes on the Interstate 495 Capital Beltway called HOT lanes that will charge tolls unless vehicles carry multiple people. They are also extending Metrorail about 23 miles out to Washington Dulles International Airport and beyond.
The new bus services come at a good time. Crews are beginning to build the stations for the rail project and digging out 2,400-foot long tunnels in the Tysons area. Traffic soon will be reconfigured along Rte. 7.
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission is launching the commuter bus to ferry workers from Woodbridge to Tysons starting Monday. The wifi-equipped buses will run four times each morning and another four return trips each night. A second bus from Loudoun to Tysons Corner is slated to begin next year.
