The Falls Church City Council approved the allocation of $23,000 for the City’s participation in Phase 3 of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission’s Envision Route 7 engineering study aimed at implementing a “Bus Rapid Transit” system along Route 7 from the Mark Center in Alexandria to the Spring Hill Metro station in Western Tysons.

The plan is to implement a system of frequently-running buses along the route (with no dedicated lanes in F.C.) with station placing farther apart and only off-board fare collection to speed up the trips. F.C.’s $23,000 portion for this phase is part of $150,000 total dedicated from F.C., Arlington, Fairfax County and Alexandria. The plan is for the route to deviate off Route 7 to stop at the East Falls Church Metro, and Phase 3 will include a study of the feasibility of the route also deviating to stop at the West Falls Church Metro station.