Lee and Gallows Intersection Delayed
County officials forecast that improvements to the intersection of Lee Highway and Gallows Road will be delayed by two years.
The planned improvements would widen both roads to six lanes in the vicinity of the intersection, and had originally been planned to be completed by 2012.
The project is now delayed until 2014, and the Board of Supervisors is upset at VDOT over the delay.
According to Kathy Ichter, head of the county’s Department of Transportation, VDOT needs more time than they had expected to relocate the utilities, such as traffic lights and telephone lines, which go through the intersection.
Board of Supervisors Chair Gerald Connolly (D) blasted VDOT, saying that one six-month delay was caused by someone at VDOT not doing paperwork in a timely fashion. The delays, Connolly said, have nearly doubled the cost of the project, from $56 million to $96 million. Fairfax County is contributing $23 million in bond funds to the project.
Supervisor Linda Smyth (D-Providence) said that she, too, was concerned. Smyth noted a proposal to have the new HOT lanes on the Beltway connect to Lee Highway near the intersection. She feared that both projects might be under construction at the same time. “Certainly, I’d like to know what are VDOT’s real issues,” she said.
*****
Candidates Sought for Leadership Training
Leadership Fairfax Inc., a Vienna-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to developing leaders in Northern Virginia, is seeking candidates for two programs — the Leadership Fairfax Signature Program and the Emerging Leaders Institute. Interested candidates can attend a recruiting preview to learn more. Upcoming recruiting preview dates, times and locations are as follows:
* Tuesday, March 27 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Tower Club, 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Suite 1700, Vienna;
* Wednesday, April 11 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Inova Fairfax Hospital, 3300 Gallows Road, Falls Church; and
* Tuesday, April 17 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, 1763 Fountain Drive, Reston.
The programs are open to individuals who live or work in Northern Virginia. Leadership Fairfax selects participants each year from the business, government, education and nonprofit sectors of Northern Virginia. The application deadline for both programs is May 1. Applications are available on LFI’s Web site or by calling the LFI office at 703-752-7557.