The prospect of massive cost increases has led the Falls Church public works staff to recommend a phased approach to fixing up one of the Little City’s most traveled public streets, a project known as the “Greening of Lincoln Avenue.”
Lincoln Avenue, according to researchers of Falls Church’s colorful history, at one time was more prominent than it is today, once a major connecting road leading to western parts of Northern Virginia. It was the subject of an original article in the News-Press by the late Charlie Clark under the headline, “A Theory on Why a Southern Town Has a Lincoln Avenue” (FCNP, March 24, 2003). Long story short, it derives from the fact that a former Union soldier built an important home on the street, where an historical marker at 508 Lincoln identifies “The DePutron House.”
The Falls Church City Council at its work session this Monday heard an update on the plan from its team led by Amanda Brain, the City’s new Director of Public Works, who explained the report on the design progress made to date, since the planning began in 2022 to address the storm water and roadway improvements needed. Anthony Dudley, the City’s Stormwater Project manager, was also present.
Brain addressed what she and her staff reported as “the need to phase the project due to cost increases and funding constraints.”
Less than a year ago, in September 2024, the City’s public works staff briefed the Council when the estimated cost was $11 million, prior to the completion of its 60 percent design submission last December. But by this spring, the cost of the project had swelled to an estimated $20 million.
Reasons for the huge increase are two-fold, according to Brain. The first involves a deteriorated road subbase, discovered by more recent field assessments, that will require a replacement more than originally anticipated. The second is rapidly rising construction costs and market volatility.
Escalating unit prices and continued market uncertainty will require increases in contingency funds, she reported. “As a result, the current funding is insufficient to complete the entire project from West Street to the City line,” she said, thus proposing a phased approach.
Phase A under the new plan involves constructing the most critical stormwater infrastructure across three key locations: Legion Hall at Oak Street, Lincoln Park at Great Falls Street and Lincoln Avenue near Walden Court.
The cost of this first phase is $4 million, and the funds are already there from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation to the City. Given the looming deadline for utilizing the money allocated to assist localities facing issues associated with the Covid-19 pandemic (the deadline being December 31, 2026) construction of the stormwater projects is scheduled to begin in early 2026 for a six-month duration.
Phase B will then address the portion of the project covering the N. West to Greenwich streets with stormwater protection and roadway improvements. It will involve completing to 100 percent the design, acquisition of right of way authority, and construction. “Due to the urgency of stormwater issues here, staff recommends prioritizing this segment,” the report states.
Elements of the Phase B include full roadbed reconstruction with new pavement, major roadway drainage improvements, and construction of Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalks on the south side of Lincoln with associated curb extensions and crosswalks.
The plan is to fund Phase B at $5.1 million through a combination of state Stormwater Local Assistance funds and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) revenue sharing. Construction would begin in the summer of 2026 for six months, following construction of Phase A.
An available $950,000 that the City Council budgeted for this would be used for Safe Streets Improvements that would involve the implementation of “quick build” and “light solutions” improvements in the Phase C (Greenwich Street to Meridian Street) and D (Meridian Street to Yucatan Street). While no other funding is yet available for Phase C and D, the City staff is “actively pursuing grant opportunities,” Brain said.
Consideration for snow emergency routes, turning areas and high visibility crosswalks will be included, she added, along with the idea of narrowing the width of drive lanes by a foot and reducing the number of parking spaces on the street.
While a considerable representation of Lincoln Avenue residents was present this Monday, being it was work session and not a formal meeting, there was no provision for public input, and it was argued that more than ample opportunities have been provided for such input over the period from 2022 to the present.
No Council action was requested or taken at this meeting, just questions and there were a lot of those.