Transit Seen as Crucial to Tysons Transformation

While recent stories have focused on the ways in which changing land use patterns will be crucial to the unprecedented retrofit of the D.C. suburb of Tysons Corner, shifting commuters to public transit will be essential to accommodating 80,000 more residents and 100,000 more jobs by 2050.

"Light rail, high-speed bus lanes and even driverless vehicles are among the ideas being bandied about for the urban center Tysons is seen becoming," says Lazo. "They are a testament to the vision for an area long defined by shopping malls and congested boulevards, and some of the futuristic ideas might actually become reality."

“Longer-term, there needs to be additional high-quality transit service into Tysons to support this vision of future development,” said Leonard Wolfenstein, Fairfax’s transportation planning section chief.

"For now," adds Lazo, "county planners see buses as that long-term mode of transportation. Bus development would be less costly than light rail or a smart-vehicle option, according to a county study."

“It is also more flexible given all the uncertainties about how Tysons is going to develop and where and when the development is going to occur over the years,” said Wolfenstein.