Printer
TextGroundbreaking Kicks Off Little River Turnpike
Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
703-324-3187, TTY 703-324-2935, FAX 703-324-2010
June 12, 2003
Groundbreaking Kicks Off Little River Turnpike/
John Marr Drive Streetscape Improvements in Annandale
State Delegates Robert "Bob" Hull and Vivian Watts, Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova, President of the Annandale Central Business District Planning Committee Dan McKinnon, committee Vice President Eileen Garnett, with other members of the committee and the board of the Annandale Chamber of Commerce broke ground Wednesday, June 11, to commemorate the start of construction of the Little River Turnpike/John Marr Drive Streetscape Improvements in Annandale. The ceremony was at 4 p.m. along the John Marr Drive frontage of the Kmart store, 4251 John Marr Drive.
The Little River Turnpike/John Marr Drive Streetscape project is part of the Annandale Commercial Revitalization Initiative. The project improvements extend along Little River Turnpike from Backlick Road to John Marr Drive along the service drive, and along John Marr Drive from Little River Turnpike to Columbia Pike. The project includes streetscape and minor roadway improvements such as retiming and reconfiguring the traffic signal at the intersection of John Marr Drive and Columbia Pike, and lengthening the northbound John Marr Drive left turn lane at this intersection.
As Supervisor Gross stated, the emphasis of the streetscape improvements is on making, "the area more pedestrian friendly for folks who want to walk from place to place." Therefore, the streetscape enhancements will not only include things to improve the appearance of the area, like landscaping and decorative acorn streetlighting, but also features that will make the street more accessible for pedestrians. These include brick paver sidewalks/crosswalks, bus shelters, benches, trash receptacles, signal replacement and upgrade at the John Marr Drive/Little River Turnpike intersection, and curb and gutter/driveway replacement or repair.
Supervisor Bulova congratulated the committee on their foresight in planning these pedestrian friendly features for the community. She cited data from her recently completed Community Dialog on Transportation and Land Use that indicates, "people want communities with mixed use and walkability - more pedestrian friendly communities," like this one.
Funding for the project is from commercial revitalization bonds. Construction cost for this project is an estimated $2.8 million. The project is expected to be completed in 18 months.
For more information about the streetscape improvements, call Frank Roberts, project manager, or Larry Ichter, chief, Transportation Design Branch, Planning and Design Division, Department of Public Works and Environmental Services at 703-324-5800, TTY 711.
Photo of groundbreaking
ceremony
Website Survey 
