As Tysons Corner booms and the new Silver Line stations become more successful, McLean will be undergoing changes over the next few years.
The McLean Citizens Association and other community leaders will be working to ensure the new Metro stations are successful, Tysons becomes a community, traffic reduces on Route 7 and update Mclean itself.
The traffic on Leesburg Pike heading through Tysons Corner becomes heavily congested during rush hour.
“The new Silver Line will help alleviate traffic congestion on Rt. 123 and Rt. 7,” said Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust in an email.
He stated that he played a major role in obtaining funding for the road’s widening.
“Thanks to HB 2313, the first major state transportation bill since 1986, the County can now address serious traffic problems in our area,” he said. “I anticipate that some of these funds will be used to provide remaining funds and accelerate the Rt. 7 widening project.”
McLean Citizens Association President Sally Horn said newcomers and longtime residents can come to a meeting specifically addressing traffic mitigation with the director of Fairfax Department of Transportation in the urban center at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 14 at the McLean Community Center.
Horn hopes that McLean itself sees improvements, namely to add sidewalks and update the downtown area.
“We want our community to be walkable,” she said.
ABOUT 24 SIDEWALK PROJECTS will soon be underway to make that wish come true.
“Improving pedestrian and bicycle safety and connectivity has been a major objective during my time in office,” said Foust. “Since taking office I have obtained funding for 80 pedestrian improvements, many of them are in McLean.”
He said his constituents also want better walkways and bicycle paths to the newly opened McLean and Tysons Corner Metro stations.
Horn said she also hopes to see McLean Central Park updated and the recreation facilities enhanced.
“The question will be when will the money be there, when will the bonds be there to make this a reality?”
She hears from others that they want to see downtown McLean revitalized. Foust said the county has been approving - and is still approving - parts of the Master Plan that shape downtown McLean. The area will be the site of many orange cones for a while.
“The undergrounding of power and other utility lines along a portion of Chain Bridge Road and Old Dominion was completed in late 2013,” he said. “For a variety of reasons, the project had been stalled until I took office. In addition, VDOT will replace the traffic signals that presently hang from unsightly wires with the more attractive mast arms.”
The opening of the Silver Line was a day of celebration in the county. However, not everyone is happy with the new Metro stations. Horn said there are some people in town who are claiming they create noise pollution when they roll over the tracks so close to McLean.
“Those who live near the Metro stop are hearing lots of noise,” she said. “We’ll be working with Metro over the next year to take care of the problem.”
Foust said he was aware of the issues as well.
“I advocated for and obtained new sound walls along the Beltway protecting McLean communities from Express Lanes noise,” he said. “Working with the community, Delegate Scott, Senator Janet Howell, and I obtained approval and funding for the VDOT soundwalls that are being installed along the Dulles Connector between Rt. 123 and I-66. They should be in place by the end of the year.”
Soundwalls will reflect sound to keep nearby neighborhoods quieter.
A MAJOR PROJECT that Tysons Partnership is undertaking is to turn the urban center into a community. Until recently, Executive Director Michael Caplin said, a person could ride their bike down the middle of many of Tysons’ streets without seeing a car. Since the spring, a farmers market and a string of festivals have been added to Tysons’ event calendar. Caplin thinks the Silver Line will help this mission become a success.
“The Silver Line makes McLean & Tysons available to the entire DC metro region,” he wrote in an email. “This increases demand for hotels, office space, retail and restaurants. Silver Line Metro also makes it possible for people without a car who live to the east of Tysons to consider employment in Tysons. It also increases residential options for people who work in DC; they can enjoy homes in Fairfax County and the good lifestyle here, and ride the Silver Line to work in D.C. or beyond.”
He said new buildings for residential and commercial purposes are being built quickly, but does not feel their construction hinders traffic. He also noted that while there currently is not a lot of connectivity between all of the Silver Line Metro stations, bike paths and walking paths are currently being planned by the county.
“Visit the Fairfax County government website for routes and times,” he said. “Also visit www.Tytran.com – the Tysons-wide transportation resource website.”