The Chains Bridge Road 123 and Leesburg Pike Route 7 interchange where green space could go. Image created with Google Maps.

The highway-riddled edge city of Tysons is on a 50-year mission to transform into an urban center. That means it needs to reduce the cars on the road and add amenities that people in cities are accustomed to, like walkable grid streets, trees, green and public space, and more multimodal transportation options. One way it may transform the area is by converting the Route 7 and Route 123 highway interchange into a large public green space that welcomes people on foot and bike.

Part of the overall vision for Tysons, as explained in its comprehensive plan, is to become more environmentally sustainable “with restored streams, a green network of public parks, open spaces and trails, and green buildings.” In 2014 Tysons had about 89 acres of public park land, according to its Tysons Park Concept Plan. By 2050, the hope is to expand that to about 154 acres to accommodate the expected 100,000 residents and 200,000 workers it hopes will be in the area by then.

To help accomplish this, Tysons wants to reconfigure some highway-side areas into parks. Specifically, Tysons is researching options to reconfigure the intersection of Route 7 and Route 123 to accommodate 2040 future traffic demand.

The possibilities under review include a Two-Quadrant intersection and a Continuous Flow intersection. Both include plaza space to accommodate bikes and pedestrians, according to a 2017-2018 progress report on the Tysons Comp plan implementation. Earlier this year, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) released renderings from a proposed study, and it’s evaluating several options for the space along Route 7.

Two potential designs for the Route 7 and Route 123 park

Right now, the plans show several potential options for the interchange. First is a rendering of more walkable street grid, which Tysons is bound by its comp plan to add more of by 2050.

The top image shows the grid of streets without two quadrants, and the bottom shows it with a Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI) design.

This image shows an expanded vision of the two quads with green and public space inside the highway Cloverfield.

Other designs show the areas as a floating mass of land that rises over the interchange, with space for walking, cycling, and other modes of transit.

Finally, images of other similar projects illustrate what a two-quad or CFI concept in this area could look like if built.

Right now, plans are still in the early stages.

“Presently, there are no significant updates,” said Robin P. Geiger, head of communications for FCDOT, via email. FCDOT continues to consider several options for the intersection and will go back out to the public in Spring 2020 with updates.”

Other big changes are coming to Route 7

Much like Tysons itself, US Route 7 is currently undergoing a massive makeover to reduce congestion. The Envision Route 7 project aims to better address the transit needs of people who travel between Tysons and Alexandria.

One of the Envision Route 7 study’s conclusions was the need for an expanded Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system inside the corridor, and this year, the Northern Virginia Transit Committee endorsed BRT. An anticipated 9,500 new riders will use the Route 7 BRT line, which will go through the interchange with Route 123.

An improved Route 7 and other projects like the Jones Bridge Connector (which will add sideways and bike lanes for pedestrians and cyclists) and The Silver Line Metro Phase II (which will extend Metro out to Dulles airport and Loudoun County) are expected to have huge impacts on transit in Tysons as well as the rest of Northern Virginia.

  • Tysons Partnership

This article is part of our ongoing coverage of Tysons underwritten by the Tysons Partnership and community partners. Greater Greater Washington maintains full editorial independence over its content.

George Kevin Jordan was GGWash's Editor-in-Chief. He is a proud resident of Hillcrest in DC's Ward 7. He was born and raised in Milwaukee and has written for many publications, most recently the AFRO and about HIV/AIDS issues for TheBody.com.