Fairfax County plans to regrade part of Lee Chapel Road in Fairfax Station to remove two hills now that it has secured the funding for the safety improvements.
Two South County High School students died and a third was seriously injured in a January 10 crash in the 7400 block of the narrow and hilly road. Driver Ashlyn Brotemarkle and passenger Ariana Haftsavar, both 16, died at the scene after the 2019 Lexus IS350 went airborne for about 130 feet. The police said the vehicle was going 100.7 mph.
Lee Chapel Road is also the site of an August 2005 crash that killed Jamie Grimsley, a Hayfield Secondary School graduate who was about to head to college, as well as a number of other accidents.
Fairfax County in July redirected $5 million from the fully funded Shirley Gate Road extension project to improve safety on the 1-mile stretch of Lee Chapel Road between Ox Road and the Fairfax County Parkway. The Shirley Gate project won’t start until 2026.
And Virginia Sen. George Baker said during a virtual town hall Wednesday night that the state would fund $4 million of the $9 million Lee Chapel Road project, WJLA reported.
This year, 30 mph signs, curve warnings, and a wider gravel shoulder have been added to the road, NBC4 reports.
Fairfax County has not set a construction schedule for the project.
Feature image of Lee Chapel Road courtesy Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity, Twitter
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