Department Resources

$100 Million for Active Transportation: Project Prioritization Process

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has set a goal to invest $100 million in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements between 2021 and 2027. So far, there have been three rounds of funding approved by the Board of Supervisors totaling $56.7 million - $44.4 million has been allocated to fund 77 new FCDOT capital projects through this initiative.

View Approved Funding and Projects

Working with district supervisors, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is creating a prioritized list of proposed projects for each district. These focus on opportunity areas, high pedestrian and bicycle activity zones, and locations near key destinations like schools, parks and transit stops. Once prepared, the proposed list will be presented on this webpage and FCDOT will welcome community feedback on the proposal. Please check back regularly for updates in fall 2025.

Need and Demand Analysis

Projects deemed unsuitable based on funding limitations or other factors are removed. Because suitability depends on many factors, projects that are suitable for one funding opportunity may not be suitable for others.

This step is also designed to refine the large list of potential projects into a more manageable selection of the highest priority items. County staff apply two key methodologies to initially score projects' priority level : the Need Analysis Tool and Demand Analysis Tool.

The Need Analysis Tool identifies areas with the highest need for access to safe active transportation facilities as well as those that are culturally less likely to request such improvements. Key factors include: Need Analysis Map

Race
Income
Disability
Air Quality
Age
Housing Cost burden
Linguistic Isolation
Educational Attainment
Single Parent Households

The Demand Analysis Tool identifies locations with the highest density of pedestrian destinations to highlight areas with the greatest existing demand for active transportation facilities. Key factors include: Demand Analysis Tool map

Population Density
Employment Density
Retail Job Density
Transit Stops
Educational Institutions
Parks
Regional Trails
Public Facilities
Hospitals

Board / Stakeholder Coordination

Prioritization Review

Projects selected in previous steps for further evaluation are analyzed in further detail. This step is designed to identify the projects that are likely to have the most substantial positive impacts on safety and access. Locations that are expected to be improved by other agencies are filtered out at this stage, as well as projects with major feasibility concerns.

The remaining projects are then scored across three criteria:

Pedestrian Generators looks at nearby points of interest and land uses to identify projects that would most effectively connect County residents to the schools, parks, jobs, and other destinations they are trying to reach.
Network Function evaluates projects based on their value in creating new active transportation connections or improving safety for existing connections.
Regional Connections identifies projects that connect key regional facilities, improving access for communities across the entire County.

Evaluation and Selection

Active Transportation Program

Transportation Alert:

Department Resources

$100 Million for Active Transportation: Project Prioritization Process

PROJECT PRIORITIZATION METHODOLOGY

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