COUNTYWIDE TRANSIT NETWORK STUDY 

Fairfax County Department of Transportation

Fairfax County, Virginia continues to experience residential and job growth fueled by the greater Washington economy. A large portion of this new growth will occur in a more compact, mixed use fashion along aging commercial corridors and in designated infill and redevelopment centers throughout the county. These changing land use patterns will make countywide transit investments a more viable long term strategy.

Building on the Enhanced Public Transit Corridors identified in the 2006 transportation plan which also includes the Silver Line Metrorail Extension, this planning process examined long-term transit system expansion needs and concepts relative to identifying specific alignments, modes, and station locations. 

Renaissance led the study effort which included conducting long term travel demand analysis and coordinating with ongoing regional transportation studies to develop recommendations for potential Metrorail extensions, appropriate locations for streetcar or light-rail systems, and where dedicated lanes for bus rapid transit systems or bus priority treatments should be located.

The study also includes recommendations on how the full transit system could be phased in and funded over time, identifying trigger points in corridor evolution that support increased transit investment. 

We also examined how different transit-supportive densities in the Richmond Highway (Route 1) corridor would perform relative to anticipated ridership and other community goals. The study team utilized the CommunityViz scenario planning tool to facilitate a multi-tier analysis with visualizations to show transit supportive development patterns within six activity centers along the corridor. The final plan provides a long term framework for countywide investments in transit over the next several decades.