Town Hall To Focus On Deadly Falls Church Road

FALLS CHURCH, VA — Del. Marcus Simon, who represents Falls Church in the Virginia House of Delegates, is planning a town hall focused on safety concerns of Shreve Road. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Shrevewood Elementary School cafeteria, 7525 Shreve Road.

The meeting follows a deadly pedestrian crash in August. Fairfax County Police say a Falls Church woman and minor were walking on a path connecting to a sidewalk when a pickup truck hit them. The woman was pronounced dead, while the minor went to the hospital with minor injuries. The driver, David Alan Francis, 46, tried to flee but was caught by police. In November, a jury indicted him on charges of felony homicide, felony hit and run, aggravated involuntary manslaughter, possession of schedule I/II narcotics and driving under the influence of drugs.

Shreve Road is a route connecting Route 7 in Falls Church and Route 29 just inside the Beltway, and residents have expressed concerns years before the fatal crash. Shreve Road Community Working Group, a coalition of 300 residents and eight community associations, has been following the issue as the road becomes a major thoroughfare for commuters. In a Falls Church News-Press op-ed, the group highlighted the need for guardrails at sharp turns, signage at bike trail crossings, and sidewalks to get to the West Falls Church Metro and Washington & Old Dominion Trail. The op-ed also mentions the growing vehicular and pedestrian use of Shreve Road, which could see more impacts with the future West Falls Church mixed-use development at the George Mason High School site and Merrifield Suburban Center redevelopment study.

The road had 42 crashes reported since 2015, and 19 of these involved injuries. A Virginia Department of Transportation study resulted in the reduction of the speed limit for a portion of Shreve Road. The area from Leesburg Pike (Route 7) to Wieland Place was reduced to 30 mph, while the remaining stretch remains 35 mph.