In an effort to address the long-standing issue of traffic congestion near Great Falls National Park (GFNP), the GFCA Board recently requested that Congresswoman Wexton assist in securing funds needed by the National Park Service (NPS) to implement a reservation-based system.  While GFCA has been actively working with NPS and others since 2014 to address the issue, the problem is growing as demand to visit the park exceeds capacity.

Although several recommendations for congestion management have been implemented as a result of a 2017 NPS assessment, including the use of variable message signs and social media to inform visitors about park conditions and prepayment of entry fees, these low-cost and more immediately executed tools are not effective alone. GFNP doesn’t have the resources to undertake what is thought to be a key solution—a reservation system.  Other national parks, including Muir Woods and Yosemite National Park, have instituted a parking space reservation system, and news reports indicate that Glacier National Park may soon get one. If GFNP were to introduce a similar system, then the flow of traffic could be better controlled, thereby greatly reducing or eliminating congestion and restoring access to the park and nearby homes.

Until such time as a reservation system can be implemented, the Transportation Committee (TRN) has proposed, on behalf of residents in the 9100 block of Old Dominion Drive, that GFNP staff work to eliminate back-ups beyond 9187 Old Dominion Drive on weekends and holidays from March through October.  TRN has also advocated for additional parking restrictions on Georgetown Pike in order to address safety concerns expressed by the community. VDOT has already begun designing a new type of sign that will reduce "sign clutter" along this historical roadway while allowing the police to better enforce illegal parking in the area.

VDOT Plans for Springvale Road Bridge Replacement

In the June newsletter, the Transportation Committee reported that VDOT was studying replacement of the one-lane bridge on Springvale Road just north of Route 7.  While there is currently no funding for construction, the bridge has recently been rated by VDOT as “structurally deficient”.  Following a special meeting with VDOT on June 15^th and discussion by the GFCA Executive Board, a letter outlining GFCA’s concerns about the proposed project was recently sent to Helen Cuervo, District Engineer for Northern Virginia.  The letter focused on several issues, including the:

• Structural integrity of the Springvale Road bridge deck, substructure, and superstructure in comparison to those other bridges, including how a structurally deficient bridge compares to one that is structurally obsolete.
• Potential for increased north- and southbound commuter traffic on Springvale Road should the capacity of the bridge be expanded.  While there are differing views about a one-lane versus a two-lane bridge, many believe that the existing single-lane configuration serves to restrain increases in the volume of through traffic in Great Falls. With ongoing construction on Route 7 and increasing tolls on Route 267, a two-lane bridge on Springvale would make it the path of least resistance for traffic between Reston/Herndon and Maryland/DC and significantly affect Georgetown Pike and other local roads.
• Design of the bridge, and whether construction of a larger structure would negatively affect Piney Run as well as nearby wetlands and streams that feed the Difficult Run watershed.
• Absence of advance notification to the community about the proposed project.  Given that funds were not available for the partial interchange at Springvale Road and Route 7, as originally planned, it is not clear why the bridge replacement is taking precedence over that project which would have reduced congestion on Route 7, thereby making it a better alternative for commuters.  GFCA would like to prioritize the interchange. Concerns have also been expressed by some members of the community that recent efforts by LIDL for a rezoning of the Meadows Farm property is somehow linked to the bridge replacement.

Although VDOT has indicated that it will be holding a public information meeting on the project in the next month or so, GFCA wants to ensure, on behalf of the community, that all issues and alternatives for replacement of the Springvale Road bridge are considered so that traffic volume through Great Falls does not increase.