The Tysons Corner Circulator Study, outlining the process used to complete the study, final transit system network recommendations, mode option recommendations and transit preferential treatment recommendations is now available.

Background

The Tysons Corner Circulator Study kicked off in the spring of 2011 and is intended to support the redevelopment of Tysons Corner over the next 40 years by developing a system of transit circulators, within Tysons Corner, that will increase the use of Metrorail and other transit services for trips to, from and within Tysons. The first phase of the Circulator System, serving the Metrorail stations in Tysons immediately after opening, will be bus service operating in mixed-traffic, on existing rights-of-way. Five routes are planned for this initial service and are described as "Link" routes in the Fairfax County Transit Development Plan. The Tysons Corner Circulator Study focuses on the development of a longer term Circulator System intended to support the Tysons Corner Area by 2050, when the residential population is anticipated to be close to 100,000 and the employment population is anticipated to be close to 200,000.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation hired a consultant team, led by AECOM, to complete the Circulator Study by using detailed analysis to refine the conceptual circulator routes shown in the Comprehensive Plan for the Tysons Corner Urban Center. Now complete, the study does the following:

1. Identifies a circulator network that maximizes transit ridership and provides service to the greatest number of potential riders.
2. Identifies the most appropriate transit mode for each route within the overall recommended network based on ridership demand and required capacity to meet that demand, as well as additional factors such as ease of construction and impacts on pedestrians, bicyclists, and automobiles. Modes analyzed include bus, streetcar and driverless people movers.
3. Identifies required transit preferential treatments to support fast and reliable transit service. Preferential treatments include transit exclusive lanes, queue jumps at intersections, and transit signal priority.