Belvoir - The U.S. Army and Virginia are moving forward with their commitment to improving the transportation network in preparation for the traffic influx expected at Fort Belvoir from the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) legislation passed by Congress in 2005. The Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment recently granted the Commonwealth of Virginia $1.9 million in economic adjustment assistance to support their efforts to partner with the U.S. Department of the Army and Department of Defense as they seek to carry out base realignment and mission growth activities in the Fort Belvoir area.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will use these funds to determine what improvements are needed at the Fairfax County Parkway interchanges at I-95 and the Franconia-Springfield Parkway to accommodate future development at Fort Belvoir and the Engineering Proving Grounds as a result of BRAC. The study will also provide the required environmental analyses.

“The development of Fort Belvoir - Engineering Proving Grounds will have tremendous impact on the local and regional transportation network surrounding that area,” said VDOT Commissioner David S. Ekern. “One of the most critical traffic impacts will be at the northbound I-95 exit ramp to the Fairfax County Parkway (Exit 166) and at the Fairfax County Parkway interchange with Franconia-Springfield Parkway. The grant will help Virginia advance potential improvements.”

"With 19,000 military jobs reassigned to Fort Belvoir in southern Fairfax County, it is imperative that we coordinate much needed transportation improvements with the Commonwealth and the U.S. Army. Working together, we already have agreed to disperse these jobs among Fort Belvoir, the Engineer Proving Grounds and the greater Springfield community to maximize use of our existing transportation facilities," said Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. "The agreement to construct the last two miles of the Fairfax County Parkway will fill a critical missing link in the transportation network of southern Fairfax, and with this latest grant we will begin to look at other vital investments that must be made to ensure a successful transition of these jobs for both the Army and the surrounding community."

“These funds will assist the Commonwealth, as it works on behalf of the affected local jurisdictions, to effectively respond to the planned Department of Defense growth in the Fort Belvoir area,” said Patrick J. O’Brien, Director of the Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment. “The activities approved under this award, combined with the extensive collaboration that is ongoing among the Commonwealth, affected local jurisdictions, U.S. Army, and Department of Defense, will assist efforts to manage this growth effectively for the warfighters and those working to sustain them, and the surrounding community, including homeowners, businesses, and commuters.”

Virginia has worked with the U.S. Department of the Army and Fairfax County to address the impacts of the BRAC realignment. The Commonwealth has allocated $225 million for improvements directly supporting BRAC development at Fort Belvoir including $115 million for the extension of the Fairfax County Parkway between Franconia-Springfield Parkway and Fullerton Road and $110 million to add a fourth lane in each direction to I-95 from Newington to the Occoquan River. VDOT expects Federal Highway Administration’s Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division to administer final design and construction of the Fairfax County Parkway extension.

Additionally, the Commonwealth is evaluating additional rail, bus, HOV and highway improvements throughout the entire corridor.

Page last modified: Oct. 12, 2007