Dangerous Intersections Being Addressed
It took a few years, and a lot of complaining, but VDOT and FCDOT finally have plans to remove the useless double turn lane at Tysons Boulevard and Galleria Drive. Numerous media sources, as well as myself, have pointed out how dangerous this particular intersection is to cross on foot.
Evidently 6 months of studying turned out to say the same thing that many people have been saying (for free and without the need of 6 months) for years. FCDOT also says several spot improvements and pedestrian improvements are already under construction with several more to be complete by January 2016.
Speaking of non-vehicular improvements around Tysons, Park Run Drive is one of several roads in Tysons receiving bike lanes.
Be still my twittering heart. Brand new road diet in Tysons Corner? Apparently so. (hey its all relative) pic.twitter.com/ShSnli2nPH
— Andy Clarke (@Andybikes) July 28, 2015
All of this was accomplished without a single piece of major construction equipment on a largely negligible budget by simply confront over sized road lanes and dialing back the number of lanes on low volume roads that never should have been this size in the first place.
1550 Westbranch Sells for Nearly $28M
Property acquisitions are always an interesting window into the valuation of land and buildings in Tysons. That is important because it is an indicator of whether the market will naturally redevelop in a region. When land values hit a critical level land owners, or those who purchase a property, have greater incentive to redevelop at higher densities to attain greater revenue in the form of leasing, renting, or future sales.
The sale of 1550 Westbranch Drive could mean new redevelopment plans, the original owner COPT wasn’t pushing for any new plans despite their prime tenant leaving in 2016, and a soft commercial market outside of prime metro accessible locations. The 5.4 acre property sold for just above $5M per acre.
If A Tree Falls On A Suburban Road Can Anyone Get To Work?
*Road Closure* Gallows Road @ Tysons Oaks Cir completely shut down for a pole across the road. Stay alert for detours pic.twitter.com/CtrzDwJt1e
— Fairfax County (@fairfaxcounty) July 29, 2015
Ok so it’s not a tree, but this typically innocuous incident shows just how few entries there are into Tysons. Remember, when you experience traffic it’s typically due to a lack of other options, not from a lack of enough lanes on your one option.