Reston drivers might have noticed some fencing and other construction equipment going up along stretches of road near South Lakes High School, as crews prep the area for a sidewalk construction project.
The approximately $2 million bicycle/pedestrian project on South Lakes Drive will add sidewalk to areas that are currently mostly dirt paths. According to a Fairfax County document, the sidewalk being constructed involves an approximately 3,600-foot-long area.
That’s not all. The Fairfax County Department of Transportation project will also add sidewalk on Twin Branches Road at the intersection with South Lakes Drive, where safety upgrades for pedestrians will also occur, Reston Association Chief Operating Officer Larry Butler said in a Reston Today video on Tuesday (July 6).
“Very early in the planning and scoping for this project, Fairfax County agreed to add a short section of sidewalk that had been identified in our multimodal transportation advisory committee’s report, Reston on Foot and Bike,” Butler said.
The project, which uses 2014 bond money, will install walkways from Greenskeepers Court to Soapstone Drive, Whisperwood Glen Lane to Ridge Heights Road, and Harbor Court to Twin Branches Road.
Orange barrel markers have been placed along areas of the project — areas which Butler said will fill in gaps between existing sections of sidewalk and Reston Association pathways, and improve three bus stops in main sections of the work.
Butler noted in the video that the project is one of three recent pedestrian improvement projects in the area. Work to add five-foot-wide sidewalks on the south side of Sunrise Valley Drive from South Lakes to Soapstone Drive and from RA’s headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.) west to Glade Drive has been completed.
“These improvements will help facilitate a safer pedestrian experience for all Restonians,” Butler said. “I hope you get out and enjoy these paths and sidewalks once they’re completed.”
A major project to improve sidewalks and bus stops along South Lakes Drive is set to be completed by the summer.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is planning to complete missing sections of the sidewalk on the north side of South Lakes Drive and improve existing sidewalk between Greenskeeper Court and Twin Branches Road.
The project, which was first developed by the Reston Metrorail Access Group in 2009, will also include making six bus stops ADA- friendly.
Both projects are both in the construction phase and will be finished by early summer, according to Robin Geiger, a spokesperson for FCDOT.
Geiger said that the sidewalk on the Southside is 45 percent complete and the trail project on the Northside has just begun.
“The intent is to complete the majority of the work on the Southside prior to moving construction activities to the northside,” Geiger said.
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Fairfax County Police are still looking for the driver who killed a Reston teen who was crossing the street Saturday evening.
The victim was identified by police Sunday as 16-year-old Marvin Daniel Cruz Serrano, who friends are remembering as “kind and selfless.” The South Lakes High School student was struck by a vehicle while returning home from work at Reston’s Cafesano, NBC 4 reported.
“At about 5:40, officers responded to the report of a pedestrian hit-and-run crash on South Lakes Drive and Castle Rock Square in Reston,” police said in a press release. “The teen was attempting to cross South Lakes Drive… when he was hit by a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“There is a crosswalk at the intersection and detectives are still conducting their investigation to determine if the teen was using the crosswalk,” police added. Police are now seeking information that can lead them to the driver, who fled the scene.
More from FCPD:
Detectives from our Crash Reconstruction Unit are asking anyone with information on the fatal hit-and-run crash over the weekend to come forward. 16-year-old Marvin Daniel Cruz Serrano of Reston was hit while crossing the street Saturday night, and the driver left the scene. The car involved was likely a sedan based on witness accounts, but we don’t know the model or color. The vehicle would have heavy front-end damage but still be drivable.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Crash Reconstruction Unit witness phone line: 703-280-0543. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by visiting http://www. fairfaxcrimesolvers.org, or calling 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). They can also be sent in via text by texting “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES (274637). Text STOP to 274637 to cancel, or HELP to 274637 for help. Message and data rates may apply. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1000 if their information leads to an arrest.
We are able to share Serrano’s identity publicly, despite him being a juvenile crime victim, because his family provided our detectives their written consent.
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The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is asking for $550,000 in state grants to fund two pedestrian safety projects in Reston.
The county is seeking $385,000 to add a pedestrian refuge island and flashing beacons to an existing crosswalk across South Lakes Drive at the eastern intersection with Tanbark Drive near South Lakes High School. The second project would add a pedestrian refuge island and rapid flashing beacons to improve safety at an existing crosswalk at Bluemont Way and Discovery Street for $165,000.
In late October, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to request funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan grant program, which funds targeted improvements in areas with the potential for pedestrian crashes.
If the state awards funding to the county, county staff will draft project administration agreements with state transportation officials. The funding proposal for Reston is part of a $2.6 million request to the state. VDOT will notify jurisdictions about projects that have been selected for funding this month. Construction on approved projects is expected to begin in April, with a completion date of December 2019.
Construction is intended to happen on an expedited schedule in order to get “maximum return” on limited funding, according to state officials. As a result, projects that require right-of-way or easement acquisition, roadway widening and the replacement or relocation of curb and gutter will not be considered by the state.
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