Another trip down memory lane as we look at the decade-long project leading to the completion of the Gallows Road bridge over I-66 at Dunn Loring and its bike and pedestrian facilities this summer.
At the FABB monthly meeting in February 2009, representatives from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) discussed plans for new bike lanes on Gallows Road. Even then the road was popular with bicyclists traveling between the Merrifield/Dunn Loring Metro Station area, the W&OD Trail, and Tysons Corner. Over the course of two phases between September 2009 and April 2011, bike lanes were added in conjunction with the restriping between Stenhouse Place (just north of the Dunn Loring Metro Station) and Old Courthouse Road in Tysons.
The project had been in the works for a long time and, even with inputs from FABB and other concerned citizens, the initial plan was not perfect. In recent years, however, as the area around the Dunn Loring Metro has been developed, bike lanes have been expanded and additional lanes have been added to streets around Gallows Road, making connections to other areas. Increasingly, local businesses and residents see the value of bicycle infrastructure and of having multimodal transportation options to make communities healthier, less congested, and less polluted.
More still be needs to be done, and FABB will continue to monitor and advocate for these improvements. We applaud existing plans for rebuilding the bridge over I-66 at the Dunn Loring Metro station as part of the Transform 66 – Outside the Beltway project. Bike lanes are to be added on the bridge, and there will be a connection to the planned I-66 parallel trail. In the future we would like to see the bike lanes widened, possibly by narrowing the center turn lane. Because Gallows Road is a major connection from the Merrifield/Dunn Loring area to destinations to the south, improvements are needed for bike access from the Dunn Loring Metro station to the Beltway bridge and the crossing.
2022 Update: Work began on the new Gallows Road bridge in October 2021 and completion is expected this summer. As promised, the bridge will have bike lanes and wider sidewalks in each direction and will connect to the new shared-use path being built along I-66. Please use caution when biking through the construction area.
Would you like to get involved in helping to make sure that future projects include adequate bicycle facilities? Send us a note at [email protected].
