By the end of the year, construction is slated to begin on overhauling of the Fairfax County Parkway and Popes Head Road interchange in northern Virginia, according to the state's Department of Transportation (VDOT).
The agency recently awarded a $49 million contract to Roanoke-based Branch Civil, which is expected to begin on-site activities in Fairfax Station sometime in December. Construction on the interchange is expected to be complete in late 2026.
The entire rebuilding effort will cost a total of $92.4 million, including $78 million for construction, per VDOT's project page. Financing for the work is provided by federal, state (including Smart Scale), Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and other local sources.
FFX Now, an online news service, noted that the effort has been in the works since at least 2017.
The roadway project will replace the existing, four-way intersection controlled by a traffic signal with three roundabouts and two bridges over Fairfax County Parkway to allow traffic to flow freely, VDOT noted.
Other elements of the work include:
- Building a short segment of the future Shirley Gate Road extension that will provide pedestrian and vehicle access to the future Patriot Park (Fairfax County is in charge of designing the remainder of the roadway extension).
- Reconstructing the nearby Fairfax County Parkway Trail and creating a shared-use path linking the trail to the proposed Patriot Park.
- Installing a sidewalk along the north side of Popes Head Road.
- Extending Ladues End Lane to the new roundabout at Popes Head Road.
- Adding an acceleration lane for drivers turning from Nomes Court onto northbound Fairfax County Parkway.
According to VDOT, the parkway carries an average of 64,000 vehicles a day, in contrast to Popes Head Road, which averages only about 3,200 vehicles daily. The long wait at the traffic light — which state officials have said can last five minutes during peak travel times — has long been a source of frustration for area commuters. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave its support for the proposed redesign in May 2020, FFX Now reported Nov. 14.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity said at the time that the project "will provide significant congestion relief and a safer route for thousands of residents," reported The Connection, an online news site based in Alexandria. VDOT is ultimately planning to widen Fairfax County Parkway from four to six lanes, beginning with the northern section from Nomes Court to U.S. Highway 29, though some Virginia officials and residents have questioned the department's use of road widenings as an answer to traffic congestion.
Earlier this year, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation revisited a 2021 study of the parkway and also determined that it should expand to six lanes, rather than the eight that had previously been recommended. Additionally, the county agency stressed the need for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, calling the completion of a trail from Reston to Fort Belvoir a top priority.
The Popes Head Road interchange also ties into plans to extend Shirley Gate Road down to the parkway from Braddock Road. Some funds for that project, which is not expected to start construction until 2026, were redirected in July to a plan for eliminating hills on Lee Chapel Road, where two teens were killed in a crash last January.
An information meeting for residents and travelers in and around the Fairfax County Parkway and Popes Head Road interchange is being planned this January, VDOT said on its webpage.
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