Surovell gives update on Richmond Highway widening, BRT funding

Legislators from the Richmond Highway area met with VDOT officials on Wednesday in Richmond. (@AdamEbbin image)

Securing funding for the Richmond Highway widening project between Jeff Todd Way and Hybla Valley remains a work in progress, State Sen. Scott Surovell said Wednesday in a blog post.

Surovell and three other state legislators from the Richmond Highway area — Sen. Adam Ebbin, Del. Paul Krizek and Del. Mark Sickles — met with VDOT officials Wednesday in Richmond. Surovell said the group discussed the Route 1 widening project as well as funding for future bus rapid transit (BRT) on Richmond Highway. 

Only about $44 million of funding of the nearly $215 million Route 1 widening project has been secured so far, Surovell said. He said the group hopes to get the rest of the funding from Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and a state funding program.

Construction for the widening project is not slated to begin until 2023, with right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation beginning in spring 2019, according to VDOT. 

Preliminary designs for the Sacramento Drive and two Buckman Road intersections will be on display at next VDOT community meeting on April 4, Surovell said. He also said maps of possible storm water mitigation sites will be shown at the meeting, which will be held at Mount Vernon High School from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Surovell also said Fairfax County is currently working on its application for federal funding for bus rapid transit, which is a separate project from the Route 1 widening. If approved, that federal money would pay for about half the project’s cost, Surovell said. 

BRT is envisioned to run down the middle of Route 1 from Fort Belvoir to Huntington as part of the Embark Richmond Highway comprehensive plan amendment, which is set to go before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors later this month.

You can read Surovell’s report on the meeting here.