Fairfax County Board Moves Forward on Columbia Pike Streetcar Design

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday the next phase of the Columbia Pike Streetcar project agreement with Arlington County.

Supervisors signed off on moving the project’s environmental planning and design processes forward in a 7-2 vote, with Supervisor Linda Smyth (D-Providence) abstaining.

Arlington County’s Board approved their portion of the agreement on July 16, agreeing to pay for 80.4 percent of the conceptual design work, while Fairfax will pay for the remaining 19.6 percent.

The 5-mile light rail line will connect Pentagon City in Arlington to the Bailey’s Crossroads and Skyline areas of Fairfax County.

Tuesday’s agreement only covers the $999,131 for the environmental planning and design, and per the agreement, Fairfax will pay no more than $195,830.

The entire project itself could cost as much as $300 million, and while it’s hoped that local, state and federal dollars will fund the construction, that money isn’t on the table yet.

Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) was excited about the project, and said it could be an economic jolt for the county and the Skyline area.

“This is economic development to me, this isn’t just transportation,” she said. “This is providing the kind of neighborhood that young people, most importantly today, want to be in – where things can happen, where you can get to places, where you don’t sit around in traffic.”

But others thought it was a less practical, more expensive option when better ones were available.

Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), who voted against the motion with Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully), said the streetcar was too slow and lacked flexibility.

“I think it’s a worse solution,” he said. “It is a fixed system that goes fixed places at an average of just over ten miles an hour.”

Smyth abstained from voting on the agreement because her husband owns property in the area.

The next phase of the streetcar project includes design of an operations and maintenance facility and design of the Skyline Station.