Braddock Multimodal Project sparks excitement from bikers, concern from homeowners

The Virginia Department of Transportation is currently finalizing plans to add shared-use paths, a pedestrian bridge, and additional turn lanes to a section of Braddock Road between Ravensworth Road and Humphries Drive in Annandale.

The project has support from advocacy organizations like the Fairfax Alliance for Better Biking (FABB), but nearby homeowners oppose it, saying the construction would remove an important roadside tree buffer and redirect traffic in potentially harmful ways.

The project is divided into two phases: Phase one goes from Ravensworth Road to Southampton Drive, and phase two goes from Southampton Drive to Humphries Drive. Both phases will feature new 10-foot-wide pedestrian paths on either side of Braddock. FABB Board Member Yvette White said the improvements will make pedestrian travel easier and safer.

"It's huge because having the path on both sides of a large arterial like Braddock Road means that someone who lives on one side of the neighborhood doesn't have to make an unnecessary intersection crossing to walk safely," said White.

Phase one construction is slated to begin in fall 2028. It received $56 million in funding in 2021 and includes a pedestrian overpass near Burke Lake Road, according to Fairfax County's Department of Transportation. Phase two is not yet funded and without a start date, but the county expects to secure funds at some point over the summer.

With little time remaining before Phase Two's potential approval, residents of Stone Haven, a 103-home development on the side of Braddock Road, hope to stop the project from eliminating the roughly 20 feet of tree cover between their neighborhood and the four-lane road.

"Braddock Road is super busy. And that tree buffer makes a big difference in terms of hearing roadway noise, especially for those houses that are right up against the road," said Salim Sawaya, president of the Stone Haven Civic Association. "Houses by the road are going to be impacted, both in terms of their attractiveness and their property value."

Sawaya went on to say that the new shared-use path is redundant because of an already-existing path that cuts through the tree buffer.

"The idea that we are spending a ton of money to construct a path directly on the side of this busy roadway makes no sense to me," said Sawaya. "I will not want my son riding his bike there. I’d feel completely comfortable with him on the shared use path that is 20 feet off the roadway in the woods."

FABB board member Yvette White acknowledged the existence of such trails but maintained that their condition and disjointedness necessitate the path.

"The bicycling or pedestrian infrastructure, if it's there, is mostly in poor condition, or it's non-existent," said White. "Trying to bike down or walk all the way down that section of Braddock Road is not necessarily possible."

Though their motivations were different, Sawaya and White both expressed concern for the added turn lanes in both phases. White said they could pose a danger to crossing pedestrians. Sawaya said he's collaborating with leaders in other neighborhoods, where traffic flow after the project's conclusion could cause safety issues.

"Some of the other neighborhoods are concerned about potentially being put in the path of traffic that's finding a cut-through because people would no longer navigate Braddock Road in the same way that they used to," said Sawaya.

The up-to-date plans for the Braddock Road Multimodal Project are available on VDOT's website.

While increased biking opportunities can offer various benefits to the community, there are also significant environmental benefits of keeping the existing tree and vegetation along this stretch of Braddock Rd. The proven environmental benefits greatly outweigh the unproven benefits to the bikers and walkers who might use this path. We have been told that this first phase from Ravensworth Rd to Southampton has a $74 million price estimate and about half of that estimate is for the shared use paths on both sides of Braddock. The cost of the shared use paths are that astronomical because the paths are basically bike roads: a 10 foot wide paved path separated by a 10 foot grass buffer plus at least 3 feet of grass on the inside of the path. To construct this type of path, the steep embankments that are covered with trees and other vegetation will have to be bulldozed and the sharp drop offs will need to be filled. The construction will damage much of the existing vegetation that provides natural storm water management and will require building additional storm water management infrastructure. Many residents do not trust the claims and justification given for the need for, and benefits of, this project. There are already existing paths, trails, and neighborhood sidewalks that offer convenient and safe routes, whether on foot or bike, without the need to bulldoze the trees so nicely illustrated in the photo.

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