County requests funding for Frye Road crosswalk upgrade

The Frye Road crosswalk near Richmond Highway is seen last summer. (Google Maps image)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has applied for state funding to improve a crosswalk that was the site of a fatal crash involving a pedestrian in 2016.

The board is looking for funds to upgrade the crosswalk near the intersection of Frye Road and Richmond Highway. The improvements would include a pedestrian refuge island, curb ramps and rectangular rapid flashing beacons. The project is estimated to cost $198,000, and would be paid for through VDOT’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP) grant program.

David Baines, 57, was struck by a car while crossing Frye Road on Dec. 1, 2016. Police said at the time that Baines, who died at the hospital from his injuries, was in or near the crosswalk. A 52-year-old man from the Woodlawn area was ticketed for failing to yield to a pedestrian, and was fined $30, according to Fairfax General District Court records.

Six other pedestrian safety projects were also included in the county’s application, which totaled $2,634,500:

• Little River Turnpike at I-495 Ramps; $1,050,500
• Little River Turnpike at Conwell Drive; $330,000
• Columbia Pike at Lincolnia Road; $330,000
• South Lakes Drive at Tanbark Drive (East); $385,000
• Franklin Farm Road at Old Dairy Road and Thorngate Drive; $176,000
• Bluemont Way at Discovery Street; $165,000