Fairfax County will spend $8 million in leftover federal transportation funds, money intended to ease congestion on local roads, to build sidewalks and bike lanes instead, the board decided Tuesday.
The $8 million is part of the $11 million left over from two projects that came in under budget, including $3.9 million from the Burke Centre Virginia Railway Express parking garage project and $7.2 million from the widening of Route 29 and Gallows Road.
But instead of using leftover cash for road work, the county board voted unanimously to put most of the money toward pedestrian projects. More than half of the money will be used to build sidewalks along Route 50. Walks will also be added along Soapstone Drive in Reston, and sidewalks and bike lanes will be added to the Walney Road bridge.
County Transportation Director Tom Biesiadny said the Route 50 project, a county priority for a decade, is now in the design phase. It will eventually connect segments of sidewalk already built along the right-of-way so that people can walk safely to shopping centers, churches or bus stops.
“Unfortunately, the pedestrian network is not well-connected,” Biesiadny said. “What we’re trying to do is connect up those pedestrian facilities so it’s a comfortable environment for people to walk along the corridor.”
Fairfax Supervisor Pat Herrity, R-Springfield, questioned the appropriateness of spending highway funds on pedestrian projects but ultimately voted to shift the money.
“Our citizens expect us to use transportation resources wisely to relieve congestion,” Herrity said through a spokesman after the meeting. “Real congestion relief involves improving roads that are at capacity, not sidewalks near shopping centers.”
Board Chairwoman Sharon Bulova said that “feet and bikes are transportation” and that encouraging people to use them more would keep cars off the road.
Some of the leftover money will be used for traffic-related projects, such as widening a section of Lee Road and improving intersections around the Mark Center in Alexandria to deal with the additional congestion caused by the relocation of thousands of Defense Department employees.
“The crux of this,” Biesiadny said, “is we were trying to fully fund projects that have been previously approved by the board.”
