The developer of One University proposed to square off the intersections at Route 123 and University Drive to improve pedestrian crossings. Image by Niles Bolton Associates. used with permission.

Conflict between the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax County is jeopardizing a plan to improve pedestrian safety at the intersection of Route 123 and University Drive.

This section of Rte. 123 is currently designed almost single-mindedly for vehicle throughput. Just north of Braddock Road, it feeds regional vehicle traffic from western Fairfax and the Beltway into the area. The speed limit is 45 mph, and vehicles typically travel at or above 50 mph in free-flowing traffic conditions.

Currently, the intersection at Rte. 123 and University Drive has wide curb radii that force pedestrians to walk longer and in the path of vehicles turning at high speeds.

Most of the intersection’s foot traffic comes from students at nearby George Mason University, and it will be seeing a lot more pedestrians after the opening of a new residential building called One University. Fairfax County approved the rezoning for One University in September 2019 with conditions for improvements to the intersection. However, VDOT did not approve the changes.

This isn’t the first time VDOT’s emphasis on vehicle through-put and Fairfax County’s focus on improving pedestrian safety have clashed. It is evident in many parts of the county, including Tysons, Dunn Loring, and Merrifield. But the story at this intersection is more complicated.

Wide corners like this one make the 123-University intersection more difficult and dangerous for pedestrians. Image by the author.

Construction is underway at One University, which will include 798 beds for students and 240 affordable units for the public. The student housing is expected to open in August 2023 and the affordable housing the following year.

The project arose from an unsolicited bid to redevelop land owned by the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The county urgently needs more affordable housing, and George Mason needs more nearby student housing. The bid was a rare opportunity to meet these needs.

But unlike areas such as Tysons and Merrifield, this is an area that lacks robust transit to support such an increase in density. While many affordable housing and social equity advocates strongly supported the One University proposal, the Sierra Club Great Falls Group (I co-chair the transportation committee for the statewide chapter), opposed it because the area is not near effective regional transit and had not previously been targeted for higher-density development.

A Traffic Impact Analysis by One University’s developer estimated that 160 student residents would cross the intersection at Rte. 123 and University Drive daily during morning and afternoon “peak” hours, in addition to the 300 existing pedestrian trips. So when approving the rezoning, the county proposed changes to the design and shape of the intersection that are essential to making higher-density housing work in this area and provide far safer experiences for pedestrians, bicyclists, and scooters heading to George Mason and other destinations.

The rezoning conditions, or “proffers,” include 10 pedestrian improvements such as high-visibility pedestrian lighting, wider crosswalks, adding a lead pedestrian crossing phase, and squaring off the intersection to reduce crossing distances and the speed of turning vehicles.

A rendering of the proposed pedestrian improvements. Image by Credit Wells + Associates Inc. used with permission.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) approves Traffic Impact Analyses that are required for major developments and has the final say over plans for state roads.

VDOT did not approve the proposed changes for One University and categorically rejected the construction of curb extensions to square off the intersection.

In a June 2019 memo to the Fairfax County Zoning Evaluation Division, VDOT stated, “The proposed curb adjustment at Rte. 123 should be removed” and “[n]o modifications will be permitted which do not accommodate the vehicles utilizing the movements in order to protect pedestrians crossing the curb to make turns.” Because of VDOT’s objections, Fairfax County and the developer added a clause that allows the new housing to open even if “the required improvements proffered have been delayed due to… an inability to secure necessary permission from VDOT or other agencies.”

In other words, VDOT told Fairfax County that extending the curbs and squaring off the intersection would slow down drivers making turns, so they would not allow it. In response, Fairfax County approved a clause that bought them time to continue to negotiate the pedestrian improvements with VDOT, but provides no guarantee that all the improvements will be constructed.

When they approved the One University rezoning, the Fairfax Board of Supervisors also required conducting a more detailed traffic analysis of the intersection to determine what other improvements may be needed. The Fairfax County DOT expects to start this analysis next year.

In a recent community meeting about One University, local Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who represents the Braddock District, stated that the pedestrian improvements would be contingent on the findings of the traffic analysis. If the traffic analysis does not allow drivers’ needs to dominate those of others, its findings may support moving forward with the full range of pedestrian improvements needed to make this intersection safe.

These kinds of improvements should also be routinely incorporated in Fairfax and VDOT’s road design plans. Until they are, Fairfax’s smart growth and housing plans will put pedestrians literally on a collision course with outdated and unsafe road design standards.