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Fairfax County is preparing a new outreach campaign to steer federal employees toward public transit as the Trump administration orders more workers back to their offices.
The Board of Supervisors voted without objection Tuesday, Feb. 4, to have county staff develop a strategy highlighting available transit services and ways commuters can reduce their travel costs. The campaign will emphasize alternatives to driving alone.
“We want to be ready to assist them,” Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said. “We have an opportunity to raise awareness.”
Lusk urged the county to promote options in the Franconia area, including Springfield’s new $53.4 million commuter garage.
The effort comes as regional transit use continues to recover from the pandemic. Metrobus ridership has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, while Metrorail remains below its pre-2020 figures.
Still, rail travel has been climbing. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority reported that 92,600 trips were taken between 8 and 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3—the busiest Monday morning rush-hour period since 2020.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, the board’s only Republican, predicted that the federal return-to-office order would cause transit ridership to change “pretty drastically.”
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw cautioned that the outcome is uncertain. Returning employees could increase ridership, but federal workers who leave their jobs rather than abandon remote work could reduce the number of commuters.
The net effect “remains to be seen,” Walkinshaw said.
Supervisors Back Dedicated Transit Funding
All but one Fairfax supervisor also supported a letter calling for a “dedicated funding stream” for Metro and other regional transit services.
“Everyone has acknowledged that is a necessary component,” Board Chairman Jeff McKay said.
However, McKay said county leaders did not want to recommend a particular funding mechanism while separate regional and state panels study the issue.
The discussion was part of Fairfax County’s formal response to the WMATA spending plan proposed in January by CEO and General Manager Randy Clarke. It includes a $2.6 billion operating budget for fiscal 2026 and a $12.5 billion capital improvement program covering fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
Although the regional transit system appears financially stable for the next year or two, significant questions remain about its longer-term outlook.
“We’ve got a lot more work to do” to make Metro financially sustainable, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said. He added that longer-term efforts are accelerating and that Fairfax must remain involved.
Herrity abstained from the vote on the letter, saying, “I’m not ready to go to a regional tax” to support transit.
McKay responded that the letter did not mention a regional tax, but Herrity said he believed one was implied. He also argued that Metro lacks a clear long-term vision.
Herrity’s concerns about WMATA’s budget and management resemble criticisms raised by his father, former Fairfax County Board Chairman John F. Herrity, during the 1970s and 1980s.
County Seeks $68.2 Million for Transportation Projects
The board also authorized the Fairfax County Department of Transportation to pursue $68.2 million in federal grants for three major projects.
The applications seek $25 million for the Richmond Highway bus rapid transit project, $19.2 million for a cycle track along Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston and $24 million for multimodal upgrades to Braddock Road.
Each grant would require a 30% local match. County officials expect that requirement to be covered with funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.
Supervisors approved the applications five days after the submission deadline for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s fiscal 2026 Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant program. County staff filed the proposals before the deadline in anticipation of the board’s authorization.
The Richmond Highway bus rapid transit project is estimated to cost $978.6 million, with approximately $863.7 million tentatively secured so far.
The Sunrise Valley Drive cycle track has an estimated cost of $32.4 million, including $10.1 million already secured. The Braddock Road improvements are projected to cost $97.8 million, with $27.3 million secured.
Earlier in the year, supervisors authorized staff to submit the same three projects and several others for consideration under additional federal grant programs.