VDOT Unveils Extended U.S. 1 Merge Lane for I-495 Express Lanes

Last month, I posted that VDOT had agreed to extend the merge lanes for all traffic from U.S. 1 onto the Beltway's southbound/eastbound express lanes after one of my constituents noticed the unsafe merging conditions.

The interchange is used by many 44th District residents and City of Alexandria residents on a daily basis.

A diagram of the new lane design is attached and it was implemented on July 23.  Let me know if you have any feedback!

I-495/U.S. 1 Express Lane Ramp Restriping

Newly Released - Mount Vernon History Revisited!

Waynewood resident Michael Bohn and former Patch Reporter Jessie Biele have come out with a new book that focuses on local history called, Mount Vernon - Revisited.

I picked up a copy a few weeks ago at the Village Hardware.  It's a good primer into the early 44th District and provides some perspective as to how we got to where we are today in the 44th District.

Over the past two decades, Mike has written several series in the Mount Vernon Gazette focused on the Mount Vernon Trolley, old prominent homes in the Mt. Vernon area, and old Mount Vernon schools.  I published a series of them on this blog:

The Dixie Pig: Local History Articles

My favorite pictures are the old shots of U.S. 1 before it was four-laned and straightened out in the 1930's.

It's a quick must read for anyone whose zip code is between 22306 and 22309!

The text of the press release from the publisher is below the fold.

Gum Springs Pride Circa 1966

The 44th District is home to Gum Springs - the oldest historically black neighborhood in Fairfax County tracing its roots back to its found Wes Ford - a freed slave of George Washington.

Gum Springs has endured many challenges through the years and often had to fight for its fair share of resources from the federal, state, and local government.  My grandparents were involved in many of these fights starting when they moved to Mt. Vernon in 1941.

The President of the New Gum Springs Civic Association has forwarded me a link to this fascinating movie made in Gum Springs nearly fifty years ago when Fairfax County was first beginning to confront the effects of desegregation in 1966.

It is a fascinating glimpse into Mt. Vernon's past including a great cameo from then-Mt. Vernon District Supervisor and future Eighth District Congressman Herb Harris.

DoD to Contribute $23,798,603 to Expand Ft. Belvoir Elementary

Fort Belvoir Elementary School opened in 1998 and quickly became one of the largest elementary schools in Washington Metropolitan Area.  Population at the base has continued to explode as the Army has renovated and added housing units on base.

Normally, when new development brings new families and infrastructure needs, localities can require developers to pay proffers, which are passed along to homeowners, to help cover the public infrastructure costs.  When the Federal Government creates development, that is not possible.

Last week, the Department of Defense announced a grant of $23,798,603 to Fairfax County Public Schools.  The press release says:

Fairfax County Public Schools will use its grant to renovate, repair and construct new classrooms at Fort Belvoir Elementary School to address the capacity and facility condition deficiencies that placed the school on the Deputy Secretary of Defense Priority List at #26. The school will serve over 1,590 military connected students in grades kindergarten through sixth.

Given that FCPS is currently facing a capital backlog of over $1 billion, this will allow the FCPS to focus on other renovation priorities.

Thank you Uncle Sam!

44th District's Osprey Impress!

As the Potomac River continues to recover, raptors have begun to rebound including Osprey.

William Young and Ashley Bradford has done an amazing job documenting an Osprey family near Bellehaven Marina (just north of the 44th District, but frequented by many 44th District residents!).

You can find Osprey nests all over the 44th District along the Potomac River including Little Hunting Creek and Dogue Creek.  I've also seen Osprey nests on the softball field light poles at Walt Whitman Intermediate School and Mount Vernon High School.

It's only ironic that these nests include plastic bags (thank you AutoZone for helping our Osprey make their nests). What would these birds do without plastic bags?    They attempted to reproduce with plastic bags attached.

 Excellent videos and resources about a striking predator in our area.

10 Years & $15,000 of Saved Gas Later, The I-95/I-395 Hybrid Exemption Coming to An End

In July, 2004, the papers were buzzing with news about the new super fuel efficient vehicles coming out - hybrids.

They were a little bit more expensive, but the fuel savings were significant.  The federal and state government adopted tax credits.  Virginia also exempted hybrid vehicles from emissions testing and allowed these new cars to be plated with "Clean Fuel" license plates that were granted a then little used exemption for High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) in 1994.  The affordability of this new technology coupled with the HOV exemption pushed thousands of Virginians to purchase these new cars.

I was one of them.  

My wife and I had two children.  After our second child was born, I bought my dad’s 1995 Honda Accord and sold a two-door Saturn.  The gas mileage on the Accord was average and the fuel efficiency of hybrid’s intrigued me.  A local Toyota dealership said I would have to wait eight months for a Prius.  Sheehy Honda on U.S. 1 in Hybla Valley told me they could put me in a Honda Civic Hybrid in a week and this week, my 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid has 180,000 miles on it and turns 10 years-old.  

Easing the Burden on Military Spouses

Fort Hunt has always been a popular community for military families and growing up, I always had friends coming and going as their parents were moved around the country.

As a child, your perspective is focused upon your friend who is leaving, but not the effects upon the entire family  As a practicing family law attorney, I really come to appreciate the emotional and economic stresses that transfers, deployments, and the combat injuries can place on the entire family. 

For example, whenever a military family goes through a divorce, the issue of spousal support frequently comes up if only one spouse is serving in uniform.  Due to frequent location transfers, it is often very difficult for the non-military spouse to develop a substantial career or earning history.  Unemployment rates for military spouses are three times the rate of civilian spouses. Some studies suggest 90% of military spouses are underemployed.  Frequently, it is difficult for military spouses to start to focus on a career until their active duty spouse has retired.  

SFDC Pushes U.S. 1 Revitalization!

Great job by the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC) putting together this video featuring redevelopment possibilities in the U.S. 1 Corridor.  Share it around!