Frye Road crosswalk improvements completed

Enhancements to a Frye Road crosswalk where a fatal pedestrian-involved crash occurred in 2016 are now complete, VDOT announced last week.

The crosswalk, which is located about 300 feet west of Richmond Highway, now has rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs). Pedestrians activate the RRFBs by pushing a button before crossing.

The crosswalk itself is now more visible and is ADA compliant with new curb ramps. There is also a new concrete median and additional signage to indicate the crosswalk is there.

Frye Road averages about 5,400 vehicles a day where the crosswalk is located, according to VDOT. The road sits south of the Woodlawn Garden Apartments, one of the biggest apartment complexes in the Richmond Highway corridor.

In December 2016 a 57-year-old pedestrian died after being struck in the crosswalk during evening rush hour. 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.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck praised the Frye Road improvements in a statement released Monday.

“I am pleased to see enhanced safety efforts at this heavily trafficked intersection,” Storck said in a statement. “Crosswalks and safety improvements like these will save lives!”

A number of other crosswalks in the county are slated to get the flashing beacons or have recently had them added, thanks to a state grant awarded to the county in 2019 (magisterial district in parentheses):

• South Lakes and Tanbark (Hunter Mill)
• Bluemont Way and Discovery Drive (Hunter Mill)
• Franklin Farm Road and Old Dairy Road (Sully)
• Franklin Farm Road and Thorngate Drive (Sully)
• Soapstone and Ridge Heights Road (Hunter Mill)
• Soapstone and KinderCare/7-11 (Hunter Mill)
• South Lakes and Green Watch Way (Hunter Mill)
• Prosperity Avenue and Cross County Trail (Providence)