Frey Delivers State of Sully District Presentation

The sprawling Sully District will see multiple projects over the next two years designed to ease traffic congestion and erase long-standing roadway bottlenecks that increase the blood pressure for daily commuters, said County Supervisor Michael Frey.

Frey, the only supervisor the Sully District has ever had, gave a “State of Sully” presentation at the Sully District Council of Citizens Associations board meeting on Tuesday night.

The multi-facility, large parcel development of years past has mostly dried up, replaced by smaller projects that are attempting to take advantage of what little open space is still available in the district, Frey said. In general, the economy seems a bit improved compared to when the downturn hit Northern Virginia four years ago.

“Things seem to be getting better, but we are not seeing the development that we once saw here in the district,” Frey said.

Traffic Projects

The county has been collaborating with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) on a number of projects to reduce congestion on local streets, Frey said. At the top of the list is the always-clogged I-66/Route 28 Interchange in Centreville. A massive makeover of the interchange, which would cost upwards of $100 million, is not going to happen soon for a lack of funding, he said.

However, VDOT has two projects underway that will help alleviate the congestion. Both are high impact, low cost (about several million dollars each) options that VDOT can launch soon.

Construction could start this summer on extending the right turn-lane ramp from I-66 west, about one-third of a mile, to use as a right turn onto Route 28 north. This will allow those getting off the highway to stay on Route 28 through the traffic light at Walney Road. VDOT also plans to extend the dual left-turn lanes on Route 28 south leading onto I-66 east an additional 600 feet. Traffic there has been backing up during the morning rush hour.

Residential Development

The largest residential development on the horizon for the district is an 800-unit condominium complex on Centreville Road just south of McClaren Road near Rachel Carson Middle School.

The complex is to go into a space that includes a youth athletic field. Frey was able to have the developer agree on replacing that field with two rectangular sports fields (one will be lit and have all-weather turf instead of grass) and three baseball diamonds, Frey said. Construction could start in the fall.

Route 28 Corridor

Although the county has been focused on the development and light rail projects at Tysons Corner, the Route 28 corridor, from Interstate 66 to the Toll Road, contains valuable business parcels that could easily be developed, he said.

“The growth potential along the corridor is huge and if we ignore it, we will all suffer,” Frey said.