On July 31, 2018, the Board of Supervisors authorized the consideration of Site Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA 2018-I-1MS) within the Merrifield Suburban Center. The Board approved the Plan amendment on Sept. 24, 2019, with recommendations from the community task force adopting six follow-on motions.

In response to Follow-On Motions #1 to #4, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation intends to conduct a multimodal analysis for the transportation improvements recommended in the Plan Amendment. The study began at the end of 2022 and the anticipated completion is Fall 2024. The first round of outreach is planned for Fall 2023.

The study will focus on the Gallows Road corridor from Tysons to greater Annandale, as well as some parallel roadways, such as Eskridge Road. The study will also look at barriers to connectivity created by I-495 and recommend opportunities for improvement. A Vision Statement will be developed with the community and stakeholders along the corridor, which will help guide the design and functionality of the corridor.

Plan Amendment SSPA 2018-I-1MS: Follow-On Motions 1–4

1. Direct staff to conduct a comprehensive study of multimodal transportation opportunities in and around the Merrifield suburban center, with a focus on the gallows road corridor from Tysons to Annandale and parallel roadways, such as Eskridge road to the west and Fairview Park drive to the east, including evaluating how the county may be able to use innovative and evolving technologies to enhance mobility and accessibility, that the board provide funding for this analysis; and that staff be directed to engage stakeholders throughout the conduct of this study.
    
2. Direct staff to study the barriers to connectivity in the Merrifield suburban center created by Interstate-495, opportunities to mitigate the barriers, and options for improved multimodal mobility between the planned land uses on the east and west sides of the interstate; that the board provide funding for this analysis; and that staff be directed to engage stakeholders throughout the conduct of this study.
    
3. Direct the county executive to include $700,000 as a consideration item in the next quarterly budget review to fund the activities described in follow-on motions #1 and #2.
    
4. Direct staff to develop a funding plan for the transportation infrastructure improvements recommended in the Merrifield suburban center comprehensive plan, in an effort to expeditiously advance the projects. These improvements can provide benefits in advance of the implementation of additional development. The funding plan should include strategies for financing the public share of infrastructure improvements and facilitating cooperative funding arrangements with the private sector. This effort should specifically address as a priority the pedestrian and bicycle bridge and include the I-495 braided ramps in the regional transportation planning and programing documents, such as the northern Virginia transportation authority's transaction plan and the transportation planning board's constrained long-range plan. In preparing the funding plan, staff should include funding for the recommendations of the multimodal studies requested in follow-on motions #1 and #2.