If you have been driving around the Old Dominion and Chain Bridge region of McLean the past month you may have noticed some extensive trench construction occurring along much of the right of way. Dominion will be relocating many of the above grade powerlines, the scourge of the derecho, below ground as part of the town’s downtown revitalization. Groundbreaking occurred in June among a regalia of public and private parties who celebrated the moment as a restart to many of the improvements that occurred in the late 2000s. The removal of the above ground eyesores will help make way for a sleeker streetscape and landscape unimpeded by height restrictions.
The project begun out of the request of businesses and neighborhood leaders associated with the Community Business Center revitalization and the McLean Revitalization Corporation. The end goal is to create a better experience for residents who live close enough to retail shops and restaurants, but currently walk due to dilapidated sidewalks and unfriendly street intersections. The project is part of the overall Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan for McLean district, which is looking to turn the affluent but disconnected town into a stronger main street.
The impetus for all of undergrounding of powerlines may have begun with the Palladium project, the first infill redevelopment midrise in McLean. As is often the case, the benefits to the developer and Dominion electric were far greater when density concessions made it feasible to provide newer infrastructure and still make a profit. Over the past month we have heard a lot about the possibility of public funds going towards underground duct work in DC. At far less cost to the taxpayer and with all the same benefits, a private partnership could be the best answer. McLean has an opportunity with its multi-million dollar surplus this year to partner with a private developer to re-establish this corridor as both a home and habitat for residents.
The restart of the revitalization project, and its first phases of electric improvements, relieves the worry that residents and community leaders had in 2010 when all progress came to a dead stop. It will be many years until the isolated array of parking lots and sidewalk patchworks are unified into a fully functioning mainstreet, but smaller improvements, such as the powerline project, will be noticeable as early as this winter.