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The Falls Church 29 Initiative
This Initiative came about in 2019 through a collaboration between a group of concerned citizens in the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County who live on both sides of Route 29 as it enters Falls Church from the west. The corridor is a major commuter route, and between Graham Road and Tinner Hill Road, in particular, drivers tend to exceed the speed limit and pedestrians are unsafe. Sidewalks are broken and there are very few places to cross the road. The corridor has been studied several times, and plans have been prepared for its improvement, but by mid-2019 little progress had been made.
The group of concerned citizens created the Falls Church 29 Steering Committee, and from this citizens' group, the Falls Church 29 Initiative was born. The purpose of the Initiative is to bring together the residential and business community to ultimately improve this stretch of Route 29.
Progress to Date
During the summer of 2019, the steering committee connected with Virginia Tech’s Land Use Planning class in the Masters of Urban Affairs and Planning (MURP) program, who agreed to focus their efforts during the Fall 2019 semester on this stretch of Route 29, by studying the area and preparing a preliminary report (see report). This report lays the groundwork for cross-jurisdictional cooperation that we hope will eventually lead to grants for street improvements. In addition, the steering committee talked with representatives from the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County, Virginia. The idea was to initiate a process of citizen involvement that would strengthen the argument for corridor improvement. In the Fall of 2019, the steering committee-- together with the Virginia Tech students-- facilitated two community meetings to hear from residents and businesses, and to gather input for the Virginia Tech report. The report was shared with the steering committee in January 2020, and was subsequently shared with both the City and the County.
In 2021, Virginia's CTB (Commonwealth Transportation Board) awarded Falls Church City $6.4 million in funding for the S Washington Street Bus Stop Expansion and Access to Transit Project. This project will help achieve some of the outcomes that our group sought. Later in 2021, the City was awarded a $50k technical assistance grant by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments for a project called the "S. Washington Street Planning Opportunity Area Pedestrian Network City of Falls Church." This project's goal was to conduct a study of the existing pedestrian network for the City’s South Washington Street Corridor Planning Opportunity Area (43.3 acres) to identify missing pieces of the pedestrian network, intersection geometric improvements, areas for improved lighting and pedestrian countdown signals, and areas that could benefit from traffic calming measures. The project area includes the section of Route 29 from Cavalier/Maple and east, up until the area just past Annandale Rd.
Furthermore, construction was completed in 2023 that now provides a crosswalk and light at the Route 29/Maple/Cavalier intersection. Also in 2023, Fairfax County voted to change the name of the Fairfax County side of this corridor to "Route 29," removing Lee Hwy. However, the other side of the street remains "S. Washington Street" and traveling east on Route 29, the street name changes to Langston Blvd. This continues to confuse neighbors and many others traveling through the corridor.
Fast forward to 2025, and we have some new updates on the horizon:
This Initiative came about in 2019 through a collaboration between a group of concerned citizens in the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County who live on both sides of Route 29 as it enters Falls Church from the west. The corridor is a major commuter route, and between Graham Road and Tinner Hill Road, in particular, drivers tend to exceed the speed limit and pedestrians are unsafe. Sidewalks are broken and there are very few places to cross the road. The corridor has been studied several times, and plans have been prepared for its improvement, but by mid-2019 little progress had been made.
The group of concerned citizens created the Falls Church 29 Steering Committee, and from this citizens' group, the Falls Church 29 Initiative was born. The purpose of the Initiative is to bring together the residential and business community to ultimately improve this stretch of Route 29.
Progress to Date
During the summer of 2019, the steering committee connected with Virginia Tech’s Land Use Planning class in the Masters of Urban Affairs and Planning (MURP) program, who agreed to focus their efforts during the Fall 2019 semester on this stretch of Route 29, by studying the area and preparing a preliminary report (see report). This report lays the groundwork for cross-jurisdictional cooperation that we hope will eventually lead to grants for street improvements. In addition, the steering committee talked with representatives from the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County, Virginia. The idea was to initiate a process of citizen involvement that would strengthen the argument for corridor improvement. In the Fall of 2019, the steering committee-- together with the Virginia Tech students-- facilitated two community meetings to hear from residents and businesses, and to gather input for the Virginia Tech report. The report was shared with the steering committee in January 2020, and was subsequently shared with both the City and the County.
In 2021, Virginia's CTB (Commonwealth Transportation Board) awarded Falls Church City $6.4 million in funding for the S Washington Street Bus Stop Expansion and Access to Transit Project. This project will help achieve some of the outcomes that our group sought. Later in 2021, the City was awarded a $50k technical assistance grant by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments for a project called the "S. Washington Street Planning Opportunity Area Pedestrian Network City of Falls Church." This project's goal was to conduct a study of the existing pedestrian network for the City’s South Washington Street Corridor Planning Opportunity Area (43.3 acres) to identify missing pieces of the pedestrian network, intersection geometric improvements, areas for improved lighting and pedestrian countdown signals, and areas that could benefit from traffic calming measures. The project area includes the section of Route 29 from Cavalier/Maple and east, up until the area just past Annandale Rd.
Furthermore, construction was completed in 2023 that now provides a crosswalk and light at the Route 29/Maple/Cavalier intersection. Also in 2023, Fairfax County voted to change the name of the Fairfax County side of this corridor to "Route 29," removing Lee Hwy. However, the other side of the street remains "S. Washington Street" and traveling east on Route 29, the street name changes to Langston Blvd. This continues to confuse neighbors and many others traveling through the corridor.
Fast forward to 2025, and we have some new updates on the horizon:
- The City of Falls Church now has plans to add/improve two major crosswalks across U.S. Route 29: one at Marshall Street and one at Greenway Boulevard. Construction begins in 2029.
- Separately, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is conducting a corridor-wide “Active Transportation Study” along Route 29 from I-495 up to the City of Falls Church border. The study aims to improve pedestrian, bicyclist, transit and all-user access. It began in July 2025 and is expected to be completed by end of 2026. See this link for more: Fairfax County. A public workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, November 12 2025 at 6:30 p.m. at Timber Lane Elementary School (2737 West Street, Falls Church) for residents and commuters to learn about the study, ask questions and provide feedback. RSVP by email or phone at the link.
