The Fairfax County Department of Transportation presented draft recommendations for a High Quality Transit Network (HQTN) to replace the Enhanced Public Transportation Corridors. The proposed HQTN aims to establish the most effective way to serve the County's future growth by improving public transit usage. It includes 34 miles of Metrorail, 33 miles of light rail or bus rapid transit, and 143 miles of express bus routes to connect activity centers. The recommendations will be finalized after further public input and economic analysis.

1. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Department of Transportation
1
February 2016
Public Meetings
Proposed
High Quality Transit Network

2. County of Fairfax, Virginia
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This presentation summarizes
the draft recommendations for
Fairfax County’s proposed
High Quality Transit Network
(HQTN).
Presentation Context
Department of Transportation

3. County of Fairfax, Virginia
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Establish the most effective
way to serve the County’s
future growth by improving
public transit usage.
Replace the Enhanced
Public Transportation
Corridors (EPTC) in the
Comprehensive Plan with
a High Quality Transit
Network (HQTN) and
further define modes, right-
of-way needs, and station
locations.
Study Purpose
Department of Transportation

4. County of Fairfax, Virginia Study Process
We are at the final stage of public
involvement and review:
• Goals/objectives (July 2012)
• Corridor functions (November 2012)
• Proposed concept (July 2013)
• Recommended High Quality Transit
Network (early 2016)
Our remaining steps are to:
• Complete community and stakeholder
engagement
• Refine details on alignments, stations,
ridership and costs
• Finalize recommendations
4 Department of Transportation

5. County of Fairfax, Virginia Goals and Objectives
The HQTN is designed to achieve three
primary goals, based on the County’s growth
policies and developed with commentary
from stakeholder and community outreach:
5 Department of Transportation

6. County of Fairfax, Virginia
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Land Use Concept
The proposed
HQTN supports the
County’s Concept
for Future
Development in the
Comprehensive
Plan by focusing
on service to and
from activity
centers both within
the County and
region-wide.
Department of Transportation

7. County of Fairfax, Virginia
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High Quality Transit
Department of Transportation
Defining elements of
the HQTN include
providing improved
travel speeds and
reliable travel times,
typically on exclusive
right-of-way.
Commuter rail,
Metrorail, LRT, and
BRT are all examples
of High Quality Transit
modes.

8. County of Fairfax, Virginia
The type of premium transit service appropriate for each corridor will
reflect the traveler needs and land use context in that corridor.
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Destination corridors, like the
Metroway BRT in Alexandria,
connect neighborhoods to multiple
activity centers, functioning
primarily to provide access.
Commuter corridors, like the
Virginia Railway Express, primarily
serve one major activity center and
tend to focus on journey-to-work
trips and function primarily to
provide mobility.
Transit Corridor Function
Department of Transportation
Source: Center for Transit Oriented Development

9. County of Fairfax, Virginia
The November 2012 public meeting presented different functional concepts for a
High Quality Transit Network. The access focus attracted more total transit riders
whereas the mobility focus provided better access to regional jobs. Both had a
similar benefit in reducing vehicle travel.
MobilityAccess
Functional Concepts
9 Department of Transportation

10. County of Fairfax, Virginia
The public values multiple objectives:
• Increase access to destinations
• Include both high demand
commuter and destination corridors
• Reduce roadway congestion
• Increase transit ridership
• Take cars off the road
• Encourage Transit-Oriented
Development (TOD)
• Support Countywide vision for
managed growth
• Be affordable
• Be understandable/usable
• Be connected
Four concepts were reviewed with
the public in November 2012. The
proposed HQTN concept utilizes the
best ideas from each for a context-
sensitive fit to individual corridor
needs.
Alternative Concepts
10 Department of Transportation

11. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Extensive coordination
with current studies in
past two years:
• Transform 66
• Richmond Highway
• Envision Route 7
• Alexandria transitway
planning
• Route 7 west of Tysons
Study Coordination
11 Department of Transportation
Coordination efforts as of Summer 2013

12. County of Fairfax, Virginia Proposed HQTN
The proposed HQTN builds
upon the existing and
Constrained Long Range
Plan (CLRP) transit
investments to create an
interconnected network of
commuter and destination
corridors, supported by
connecting express bus
routes.
12 Department of Transportation

13. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Existing HQTN elements
serving Fairfax County
include Metrorail and VRE
with supportive express bus
services on high-occupancy
vehicle (HOV) or high-
occupancy/toll (HOT) lanes.
Proposed HQTN Elements
13 Department of Transportation

14. County of Fairfax, Virginia
2015 CLRP transit
connections provide the
starting point for the
proposed HQTN:
• Silver Line extension
(Metrorail)
• Richmond Highway (BRT)
• Alexandria’s West End and
Duke Street transitways (BRT)
Proposed HQTN Elements (Cont.)
14 Department of Transportation

15. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Metrorail Extensions
provide capacity to both
connect Fairfax County with
other jurisdictions for
longer-distance trips as
region expands over time
and to serve the County’s
activity centers:
• Metrorail Orange Line
• Metrorail Blue Line
• Metrorail Yellow Line
Proposed HQTN Elements (Cont.)
15 Department of Transportation

16. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Light Rail Transit (LRT) /
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
provide service to support
access to and within transit-
oriented development along
linear corridors:
• Route 28 Corridor LRT/BRT
• Route 7 LRT/BRT
• Gallows Road LRT/BRT
The choice of LRT or BRT will be
finalized during alternatives
analysis.
Proposed HQTN Elements (Cont.)
16 Department of Transportation

17. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Express Bus services
connect activity centers as
well as other transit services,
including Transit Centers and
Park & Rides, and provide
greater routing flexibility:
Proposed HQTN Elements (Cont.)
17 Department of Transportation
Radial Circumferential
Route 50
Route 236
Van Dorn Street
Beltway Express
Fairfax County Parkway
Route 28
Express Bus may operate on HOV/HOT
lanes.

18. County of Fairfax, Virginia
The proposed HQTN would
result in changes to the
Transportation Plan Map,
including mode and alignment
details in the following corridors:
• Blue Line Extension
• Yellow Line Extension
• Gallows Road LRT/BRT
• Richmond Highway BRT
• Route 7 LRT/BRT
• Route 28 Corridor LRT/BRT
Transportation Plan Changes
18 Department of Transportation

19. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Recommends the following in
addition to the current CLRP:
• 34 miles & 11 stations
Metrorail
• 33 miles & 32 stations
LRT/BRT
• Supported by 143 miles &
26 stations Express Bus
Proposed HQTN
19 Department of Transportation

20. County of Fairfax, Virginia Measures of Effectiveness
20 Department of Transportation
Final travel forecasts under review

21. County of Fairfax, Virginia Measures of Effectiveness
• Capital cost per annual
weekday passenger is a
measure of cost
effectiveness.
• Higher cost projects can
bear higher capital costs
per passenger due to
operating efficiencies
• New Starts approvals
indicate current
federal/local funding
climate
• Recommended HQTN
projects compare favorably
21 Department of Transportation
Final travel forecasts under review

22. County of Fairfax, Virginia
Supporting policies for the
HQTN include:
• Concentrated growth in
Activity Centers
• Quality TOD
• Multimodal Street
Designs
• Feeder Bus Services
• Park & Rides
• Transit Centers
• Circulator Systems
Supporting Policies
22 Department of Transportation

23. County of Fairfax, Virginia
• Current CLRP reflects initial
priorities
• Development patterns guide
next steps for fixed
guideway (Route 7, Gallows,
Route 28 Corridor)
• Express bus systems will
evolve as connections in
subsequent Transit
Development Plans (TDP)
• Metrorail extensions will
require core capacity
solutions in order to be
found a best investment
Phasing Considerations
23 Department of Transportation

24. County of Fairfax, Virginia
• Complete documentation
• Publish draft final report
• Obtain additional public
comments
• Present final report to
Board for endorsement
• Initiate process to
incorporate HQTN in
Comprehensive Plan
Next Steps
24 Department of Transportation

25. County of Fairfax, Virginia Questions?
Tom Burke (Fairfax County DOT)
Thomas.Burke@FairfaxCounty.gov
703-877-5600
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/2050transitstudy/
25 Department of Transportation