Now that the Silver Line is in the final stretch towards opening, Metro and Fairfax Connector want to familiarize residents with bus routes that will serve the stations.
The opening of Phase 1 Metro’s $2.9 billion rail extension that will run from East Falls Church to Reston’ Wiehle Avenue is more than six months behind schedule.
However, Metro officials said on Monday that fewer of 10 punch list items need to be completed. If that gets done promptly they will set an opening date early next week. That means the first Silver Line riders may be boarding as soon as July.
Wiehle-Reston East will be the end of the line until at least 2018, when Phase 2 is slated to be completed. In Phase 2, the rail will go to Reston Parkway, Herndon, Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County.
Until that happens, Wiehle will be a busy hub. It is the only Phase 1 station with parking. More than 3,000 spaces are in the parking garage at the intersection of Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue. Parking will cost $4.75 a day. There is also parking for more than 200 bicycles.
Despite the parking, Metro and Fairfax County transportation officials are encouraging Metro users to take a bus to the station.
Things to know:
The Silver Line will be serviced by several bus providers. Metro bus will provide service to and from the McLean and Tysons Corner stations; Fairfax Connector will take riders to all five stations; Potomac and Rappahannocok Transportation Commission will provide service to the Tysons Corner station; and Loudoun County Transit will provide service to Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East stations.
Fairfax Connector has added new routes, made changes to existing routes and eliminated some routes in preparation for the Silver Line’s opening. To see if your route is affected and to see which bus route is most convenient for you, visit www.silverlinemetro.com.
Buses will also play a critical role in connecting riders to Dulles, said Jack Requa, Metro’s assistant general manager of bus services. Options to Dulles include the 5A bus from L’Enfant Plaza in D.C. (with stops at Roslyn and Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride); Fairfax Connector buses 981 and 983 will depart Wiehle-Reston East with stops at Herndon Park and Ride and the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Museum; and the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority will run the Washington Flyer Silver Line Express from Weihle-Reston East to Dulles.
Fairfax Connector routes 505, 981 and 983 will also go from Wiehle-Reston East to Reston Town Center. Buses that formerly carried passengers from Reston stops to Blue and Orange line stations will now go to Wiehle-Reston East. Visit Fairfax Connector’s website to see all area routes.
This is a sponsored column by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. She writes twice weekly on Reston Now.
Many consider golfing the perfect sport. I can definitely agree with that on those glorious days when the sun is shining and a light breeze carries the aroma of honeysuckle through the air.
On those days, nothing beats grabbing the clubs and heading over to one of the two amazing Reston golf courses: Hidden Creek Country Club and Reston National Golf Course. Legendary golf architect Ed Ault built both of these beautiful courses.
So, for you golf enthusiasts, here is the lowdown on Reston golf courses.
The Hidden Creek Country Club course is a classic, playable design renowned for its meticulously landscaped tees and greens where beautiful plants and flowers adorn each hole. This PGA-quality course is a favorite for serious golfers.
Located in South Reston, Reston National Golf Course is Reston’s public golf course. This secluded course is full of shaded fairways that provide a tranquil environment for any kind of golf outing you can imagine. Visit the restaurant or the clubhouse before or after your game to prolong the fun.
The Reston Association Board of Directors is seeking to fill the vacant North Point District Director seat. The term will expire in April 2015.
North Point Director Tim Cohn resigned his position last month for personal reasons. His term expires in April 2016.
The board will appoint a new board member from the group of qualified applicants. The new appointed member will only serve until an election is held next year. At that time, the North Point position will be placed on the ballot and the winner will serve out the term until 2016.
RA members interested in applying for the seat must complete a Statement of Candidacy and submit it to the assistant secretary of the association by July 21 at 5 p.m. You can download the form below. All qualified candidates will be asked to appear before the board on July 31.
RA Directors help represent their community and set policy for the association.
Download the statement of candidacy form from Reston Association’s website.
Reston Hospital’s Scholarships For Students — Reston Hospital Center recently awarded 17 local high school students with more than $16,000 in college scholarships. Two South Lakes and two Herndon High students were among the honored seniors. [Reston Connection]
Are You A Big Winner? — A $1 million Virginia Lottery ticket was sold in nearby Sterling. The ticket was sold Friday at the 7-Eleven on Woodshire Drive. [WTOP]
Up Back On — The family movie Up will be shown Sunday, June 29 at Lake Anne Plaza’s Outdoor Summer Film Series. The movie was supposed to air June 8, but was cancelled due to bad weather. The movie starts at 8 p.m. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and snacks. Admission is free.
Catch The Passage — The Reston Community Players will stage The Passage, this year’s selection in the New Play Project. The production will be Friday and Saturday, June 20-21, at the Industrial Strength Theatre in Herndon. The Passage, by Donald C. Drake, is about the ways family and friends come together to say goodbye in a world where assisted suicide is the norm. [Reston Community Players]
SLHS Girls Score at Track and Field Nationals — Several Seahawks placed at the Track and Fields National Championship meet in Greensboro, NC: Girls 4 x 400 meter relay team (Grace Gillen, Golden Kumi-Darfour, Claire Nieusma, and Delaney Wickman) placed 10th in the Championship Division with a season best 3:52.65; Kumi-Darfour was sixth in the emerging elite 800 meter run (2:13.65); Wickman placed eighth in the emerging elite 400 meter dash (56.57) and 10th in the emerging elite 200 meter dash with a personal best 24.92; and Devyn Jones placed 9th in the freshman triple jump with a personal best jump of 33’1″. 
Reston Association on Thursday voted unanimously to amend the Use and Maintenance Standards Resolution 15 regarding air-conditioning service in Lake Anne neighborhoods that use RELAC.
The amendment allows for Lake Anne residents to apply for a medical exemption to the covenant that requires their property to use the lake water-cooled system. Click here to read the resolution.
About 300 homes are bound by deed to use the RELAC system. Residents of some of the homes that use RELAC users say the system, which was touted as quiet and state-of-the-art in the 1960s, is inefficient and produces mold. Many have added supplementary air conditioning systems to their homes, but the medical exemption for that home expires if the home is sold.
RA has allowed for medical exemptions in the past and had been discussing modifications to that policy since last year.
The board added new language about what constitutes a disability. One of the main changes includes adding a form that must be signed by a physician in order to get a temporary exemption. RA did soften the language on the form at the request of residents.
Meanwhile, the Fairfax County Planning Commission was scheduled to hold a public hearing Wednesday night on the transformation of Reston Town Center’s surface parking lot to a mixed-use development.
That hearing was deferred until June 25.
Developer Boston Properties’ plans for the surface lot at Reston Town Center include two high-rise residential buildings as well as a park with a yoga area, public art and picnic areas. The 6.35-acre site, called Block 4, is currently a 251-space surface parking lot, the only remaining surface lot at Reston Town Center. The lot is currently zoned for up for 250,000 square feet of office space.
According to the county planning staff report, which recommends approval of the project, the 250,000 square feet of office density represents the last remaining non-residential density available under the proffered maximum 3.465 million square feet of non-residential development approved within Reston’s urban core.
Boston Properties is seeking to move the office development to Block 5, where the current FedEx/Kinkos and Ann Taylor are now located, with additional office space above.
The plan calls for turning the three-story retail/office building, part of One Fountain Square, into a 17-story building with 276,788 square feet of office space and 7,800 square feet of ground-floor retail. The building would also have four levels of underground parking.
If Silver Line contractor Dulles Transit Partners finishes the work on the final “seven or eight” items this week, an opening date for service will be set on Monday, says Metro General Manager Richard Sarles.
“We are in the final stretch,” Sarles said in a call with reporters today.
A week ago, Metro Deputy General Manager Rob Troup said DTP, the Bechtel unit hired by Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority (MWAA) to build the 11-mile Phase 1 rail extension from East Falls Church to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue, had only completed about half of the items that must be done before passengers can ride.
Metro obtained control of the Silver Line May 27, starting a 90-day testing and training period. However, MWAA and Metro agreed in April that certain items could be completed after the handover but before passenger service begins.
There has been at least one report that the Silver Line will begin service the last week of July. While the Silver Line is more than six months behind schedule, an opening date for service has never been set. Silver Line officials would not confirm the July speculation on Monday. However, that may turn out to be correct if progress is made this week.
“We have date we plan against, but when you set a firm date, it is based on progress you have made,” said Sarles. “If the is done [this week], my level of confidence will be high enough to establish a firm date for revenue operation.”
Among the items to be completed: obtaining certificates of occupancy; finishing painting tunnel handrails; testing of fiber optic cable; and testing of intrusion and fire alarms, said Sarles.
There will be a public safety drill on June 29 at the Spring Hill Station. There will also be a week of simulated service before passengers can ride the Silver Line.
The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team opens 2014 World Cup play against Ghana Monday at 6 p.m. Want to watch with other futebol fans? Here are some places in and near Reston to show your team spirit.
World of Beer — The newly opened Reston Town Center bar and restaurant has 500 types of beer, so it’s likely you can drink your way through Groups E and F. There are also flat screens pretty much everywhere you look, so you should be well positioned to see soccer action.
Glory Days — This sports-themed bar and grill at Fox Mill Shopping Center has multiple TV screens and $5.99 burgers on Mondays.
Santini’s — This pizza place at Home Depot Shopping Center also serves beer and has a giant screen for sports viewing.
Kalypso’s Sports Tavern — The Lake Anne Village Center restaurant also has a sports tavern with 25 TV screens and game day food specials.
Finnegan’s Sports Bar and Grill — Located at Woodland Crossing in Herndon, Finnegan’s has TV- and theatre-sized screens to see every goal. Burgers are $5 all day on Mondays.
Ned Devine’s — Ned Devine’s located at the Herndon Clocktower Shopping Center at 2465 Centreville Rd., is having a World Cup party beginning at 5:30 p.m. There are over 45 HDtvs. Game day specials include $3 16oz Bud & Bud Light Aluminum bottles; $4 Coronas; and $5 frozen cocktails from Ned’s brand-new ice bar.
Get ready for the next U.S. game, too. On Sunday, June 22, when the U.S. meets Portugal in its second game from Brazil, Major League Soccer’s D.C. United will host a block party at Reston Town Center. The fun begins at noon, with kids’ activities, games, prizes and a chance to meet D.C. United players. The game begins at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on outdoor screens in the pavilion. Admission is free.
Photo Credit: FIFA
A kayaker who was thought to be missing on the Potomac River — sparking a three-day effort to search for him — was found alive and well at his home in Reston on Sunday, said Montgomery County (Md.) Police.
Police did not release the man’s name, but did say he had no idea that public safety crews were looking for him.
The man’s kayak and paddle were found in the river near Great Falls, Md., on Friday. He told police he had bailed out of the rain-swollen river and swam to shore.
Police said that about 1:45 p.m. on Friday, witnesses in the area of the Observation Deck at Great Falls near the Virginia shore reported “seeing a white male in a red kayak with a white paddle. It appeared that he may have needed assistance.”
Later on Friday, a kayaker down river located a red Kendo kayak and white paddle. The kayak was floating upside down near the Old Anglers Inn boat ramp on the Maryland side of the river.
Public safety responders from Montgomery and Fairfax counties, as well as the U.S. Park Police, started a search by air, ground and water later on Friday. Montgomery County police spokesman Pete Piringer said that 40 to 50 emergency responders participated in the search on Friday, and about a dozen searched on Saturday and on Sunday before the were notified police had contacted the kayaker.
The man was located after Piringer police showed the gear recovered from the river to local kayakers and posting signs in the hopes that someone would provide information about the missing man.
This is the second story in recent weeks involving a kayaker from Reston. Police said last week that Reston’s David Seafolk-Kopp, who told authorities he had been shot from the shore while kayaking in Anne Arundel County in April, likely made up that story and shot himself in the abdomen. When officers came to his Lake Shore Crest home on June 5 with a search warrant, Seafolk-Kopp shot himself again in the torso and jaw. He remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Photos: Spiderman buoyant bag, kayak and other supplies found by police/Credit: Montgomery County Police
Reston Man Sentenced For Illegal Exporting — Vahid Hosseini, 62, of Reston was sentenced on Friday to 30 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for exporting various high-tech unlicensed goods to Iran and for laundering money wired to him from multiple overseas accounts. Hosseini agreed to forfeit $50,000 as part of his guilty plea in this case. [U.S. Department of Justice]
Kaine Wants Students To Know Real College Cost — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) has co-sponsored a bill that will give students and families a better estimate of college costs before they apply to schools. The Net Price Improvement Act would improve the effectiveness of and access to net price calculators (NPCs) — tools that provide students estimates of higher education costs — by requiring schools to put calculators on webpages where students and families are likely to look for cost and admissions information. [Tim Kaine’s Office]
Virginia ABC Helps The Earth — The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control says it has stepped up its recycling. The agency recycled 425 tons of cardboard, 23 tons of shrink wrap, 75 tons of paper, 21 pounds of aluminum and 54 pounds of plastic bottles last year. [WTOP]
Photo: Taste of Reston at dusk
Metro’s Board of Directors on Thursday voted to give Metro Executive Director Richard Sarles the authority to set the opening date for the Silver Line rail extension to Reston.
But the wait for that opening date will go on for a while longer. The transit agency will continue its 90-day testing and training period that gets the 11-mile addition ready for passengers. Metro began the 90-day period on May 27.
Metro officials said earlier this week they are concerned by the slow pace by Dulles Transit Partners, the contractor for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority that built the $2.9 billion Phase I. MWAA and Metro agreed in April that a list of 33 items could be finished after rail line was handed over the Metro.
They also refused to confirm a report by WAMU that the Silver Line would open July 28.
Metro Deputy GM Rob Troup said Monday only 4 or 5 items have been addressed. At a the Dulles Corridor Rail Association’s spring meeting in Reston Thursday night, MWAA Project Director Sam Carnaggio said “we are 25 percent through that list, despite what you may have read.”
“I have confidence we are almost there,” he said.
The Dulles Corridor Rail Association honored Pat Nowakowaski, the former Silver Line executive director who left the post last month to head the Long Island Railroad, at its annual meeting in Reston later on Thursday.
“This was a great project, a great job, and I wanted to be here until the end,” he said, adding he is confident that MWAA will complete the remaining items soon.
The DCRA reception took place in a large, open space that will eventually be Reston Station’s retail center.
Thus far, there are no signed tenants for the space, which sits atop the Wiehle-Reston East Station’s 3,300-space parking garage. The parking garage is a joint project from developer Comstock and Fairfax County. Comstock spokeswoman Maggie Parker said the company hopes to have retail tenant information soon.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA 11) says the opening of the Silver Line, whose Phase I will run from Tysons Corner to Reston, will mark an important milestone in turning the Dulles corridor into “the most important corridor in the nation’s capital except downtown itself.”
“People talk about the Arlington-Ballston corridor as being [an important business center],” he said. “This corridor is seven times the size. When we began talking about rail to Dulles, this area was 4 percent of the [Gross Domestic Product] for the region. Now it is 35 percent.”
Phase 2, which will run from Wiehle Avenue to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County, is expected to open in 2018.
Carnaggio said Thursday that design work on the second phase is 55 percent complete.
Mural painting. Tasting foods of the world. Basketball (outdoors). Dance off. Field Trip to Lincoln Summer Cottage. College essay workshop. Kickball.
These are a few of the more than 45 choices South Lakes High School underclassmen will have when they attend school June 23 and 24.
The partial days, along with June 25, were tacked on to the school year because Fairfax County Public Schools used 11 snow days in 2013-14. While several snow days are built into the school calendar, once the allotted days are used, the schools must make up the days.
The FCPS school board is considering eliminating early release Mondays for elementary school students as a longterm solution to the “snow days problem.” Rather than requiring students to attend 180 days, the system could opt, under state law, to have children in school 990 hours. The new system would have greater flexibility on snow days.
If the school board votes the hourly calendar into effect, it could change as early as next year.
That does not help 2013-14, though, where administrators must fill up the extra days even after teacher grade books have been completed.
SLHS Principal Kim Retzer says the administration is “excited that so many staff volunteered to offer our students a variety of learning experiences on June 23 and 24.
“We know many families have already made plans, so we are expecting a smaller number of students attending those days. At this point we are planning for several hundred [students].”
Many students will skip those final days, though. SLHS says if they are not coming, just send a note and it will be an excused absence.
If the SLHS student is going to attend, they need to sign up for their mini course by June 16. See the complete list of offerings on the school’s website.
Over at Herndon High, students will have a seminar/field day on June 23 and 24.
“This day will include a motivational speaker in the auditorium, meaningful breakout sessions around topics such as cyberbullying, college and career readiness, SAT/ACT prep, honors/AP information and Kids At Hope updates,” principal William Bates wrote in an email to HHS parents. “Students will end the morning with a field day and opportunities for service learning.”
Herndon administrators also understand that people already have plans for that week, snow days or not.
“Families are encouraged NOT to alter vacation, camp, or summer enrichment plans in order to attend our June 24 and June 25 activity days,” Bates said in his message. “These will be excused absences.”
Will your high school students stay or play? Take our poll or tell us in the comments.
Restaurant Group: No Fairfax Meals Tax — The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington wants Fairfax County leaders to reject a proposed 4 percent meals tax. The group has collected more than 550 signatures on a petition protesting the tax. County officials have proposed the tax, which would add millions to the county’s coffers. [Washington Business Journal]
Simulated Silver Line Service Setup — The Washington Post takes a look at what the week of simulated Silver Line service just prior to the rail line’s opening, will mean for Blue and Orange line riders. [Washington Post]
What’s The Weather? — New Fairfax County Alert system can give you customized weather alerts. [Fairfax County]
Now Open: Applications For Reston Multicultural Festival Vendors — Reston’s annual Multicultural Festival, to be held this year on Sept. 27, is seeking arts and entertainment performers and vendors for the event. [Reston Community Center]
Reston Now readers had a lot to say about Metro’s Silver Line this week.
Metro is in a 90-day training and testing period for the 11-mile rail extension that will run to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue. But with no opening date set — and Metro’s frustration with Dulles Transit Partners’ progress on post-operational readiness repairs — potential riders in our community are getting restless.
Here is what reader commented on Reston Now this week:
I am a patron of transit services in the WDC area. I have also been an activist for better transit service in the WDC area. I am a prospective patron of the Silver Line. I have been more and more exasperated with the cost overruns and particularly the delays of the Silver Line.
DTP [Dulles Transit Partners] and Bechtel are behind schedule on half the items,” Metro deputy general manager Rob Troup said in a conference call with reporters on Monday. “We expected them to be further along.” (Monday June 9th 2014.)
Mr. [Metro Deputy GM Rob] Troup said that only 4 items on the punch list have been closed out or done so far.
I am downright angry now.
I’ve a good mind to go Bechtel’s Reston Office and demand to talk with
someone in charge re: the foot-dragging by them and the contractor on part one of the Silver Line.I demand that WMATA obtain a schedule of work to be done on the Silver Line from Bechtel and the contractor and then pressure Bechtel and the contractor to pick up the pace on the finishing work on the Silver Line. … I am growing impatient. My patience is limited. I want to ride the Silver Line into Washington by August 7th. This to me is non-negotiable.
Beware my wrath in September if the Silver Line is not up and running safely. I know how to organize people and I’ll organize protests. Picketing, Street-Theatre and an invasion of Bechtel’s Reston office.
Said another reader:
I’m still trying to figure out if the Silver Line “opening” is a joke, a mirage, or a nightmare.
There was also concern over the cost commuters will pay if they take the Silver Line to downtown DC daily. Advocacy group Reston 2020 analyzed what commuters will pay and found a large increase from the current system of taking a Fairfax Connector bus to a Blue/Orange line station.
Among the comments:
So my commute now costs $5 more per day and it’ll still take me 45 minutes to get to work. Tell me why this is a good idea again?
Also:
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If you did Reston to Metro Center via the Toll Road, that would cost you $3.50 in tolls plus $6.50 in gas each way — $20 a day. Thus a key question would be whether your employer provided free parking or not. If it did then one might well prefer to drive rather than use the $16.55 public transit option or certainly the $20.45 option.
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As a Reston-to-downtown commuter it is disappointing because I know that my overall commute will also be longer as a result of the rerouted buses to Wiehle Ave Station and the longer Metro ride. I get to pay 40% more to spend 30% to 40% more of my time in transit.
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This is proving to be one more government project that over promises and under delivers. Mass transit was sold as safe, reliable, and economical!?!?! These costs hide the general revenues, toll road fees, and other costs we have already incurred.
The $2.9 billion Silver Line Phase I is more than six months behind schedule. Phase II design work is underway. That phase, which will run from Wiehle Avenue to Reston Parkway, Herndon and Dulles International Airport, among other stops, is slated to open in 2018.
One report, citing union sources, has Phase I slated to open July 28. Metro officials have not confirmed that, however.
Have something to say? Join the conversation by posting in the comments below.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has launched a new website that can tell you which roads near you are undergoing — or will be undergoing — construction and repairs.
The interactive portal, www.Virginiaroads.org, provides a one-stop information source to VDOT data and projects, Virginia Gov. Terry McAullife said in announcing the project.
From the office of the governor:
An important feature of this new portal are interactive maps showing current and planned road construction projects included in the Six-Year Improvement Program as well as pavement conditions and resurfacing projects. Some of the data made available through this app is in response to requests by Virginia broadband providers to have greater visibility and earlier notice regarding road construction and repair projects. Providing access to this data will facilitate coordination between VDOT and broadband providers seeking to build new infrastructure.
“Virginiaroads.org is a prime example of the type of project I envisioned when we launched our Data. Virginia initiative aimed at using data to make government more transparent,” said Gov. McAuliffe. “It’s as simple as clicking on the link, selecting a location and seeing in a glance the status of current and future transportation projects. The information is easily accessible and open for to the public to see how their taxpayer dollars are being invested to improve Virginia’s road system.”
Virginiaroads.org features a series of interactive maps in a central online location. Maps display current construction projects, projects in the design phase, projects scheduled to go to construction and future projects. Projects can be searched via project stage, location, route or street name and the project identification number as it is listed in the Six-Year Improvement Program.
Another map shows pavement conditions, with colors identifying whether a section of pavement is in excellent, good, fair or poor condition. You can click on a section of pavement to find out more details on resurfacing projects.
Other maps on the site
- 511 real-time traffic information
- Park and ride lots
- Snow plowing status
- Virginia toll facilities
- Major road construction
- Highway safety corridors
- Truck routes
- Scenic roads
- Bicycling maps
- Capital trail
- State maps
- City maps
Bar Louie, a national franchise bar/restaurant specializing in fun drinks, burgers, flatbread and other fare, opened a location in Herndon last week.
Bar Louie Herndon is located at 13195 Parcher Ave., across from Worldgate Shopping Center off Elden Street. It is the sixth Virginia location for the chain.
Stop by for a speciality martini like the Diva (SKYY Pineapple, PAMA Liqueur, pomegranate syrup, pineapple juice, fresh-cut pineapple) or the Rat Pack (Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth, olive garnish).
The Herndon Bar Louie features Happy Hour Monday through Friday, 4 to 7 p.m. with featured drinks and half-price select apps and flatbreads. Tuesdays are $5 Burger Nights.
The restaurant is open for lunch, dinner and late night dining daily 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
