FABB was happy to see that Fairfax County and VDOT have added bike lanes to Government Center Parkway as part of this year’s repaving program. The new “road diet” reduced the number of vehicle travel lanes, which will slow speeds and make the road more pedestrian-friendly. This change provides a much better bicycle and pedestrian connection to the Government Center area from Fairfax City to the east and Fairfax Corner to the west.
Government Center Parkway near Monument Drive after repaving. Bike lane symbols and other markings will be added soon.
This is a significant improvement. Previously, Government Center Parkway had four through lanes and numerous turning lanes. With high vehicle speeds and no bike lanes, riding along the parkway was less than ideal. At some intersections, the road was six lanes-wide, which was a challenge for pedestrians attempting to cross.
VDOT determined that traffic levels did not require all of the vehicle lanes, which made the road diet and the addition of bike lanes run, which run all the way from Waples Mill Drive near the Fairfax City boundary to the Pennino Building near Fairfax Corner, appropriate for the area.
The new bike lanes are a great step forward for this area, and it will only get better thanks to local riders’ continued support for new bicycling infrastructure. Fairfax City is planning to extend Government Center Parkway to Jermantown Road, and plans to add bike lanes to its portion of Government Center Parkway.
Want to see even more bike lanes in Fairfax County? Join FABB by contacting us at [email protected].
