Fairfax Co. Supervisor seeks changes after thousands raise concerns over dangerous road

FAIRFAX STATION, Va. (DC News Now) — A Fairfax County Supervisor said change is coming to a dangerous road in the county that most recently was the site of a car crash that left two area high school students dead earlier this month.

Pat Herrity sent a series of Tweets on Monday thanking the Virginia Department of Transportation for the first “interim improvement” at the site of the crash on Lee Chapel Road. But he also acknowledged solving the problem will require further action.

“I grew up in this area and am acutely aware of the dangers of the hills and curves on this section of Lee Chapel Road,” he said in a Tweet. He then said the road is one of many “left over from Fairfax County’s older, rural past that can be unsafe in modern times with our higher traffic volumes and faster vehicles.”

Herrity referenced a 2015 fatal crash along the same stretch of road, where 19-year-old Dilbar Noory died. He said he recommended a project to improve the street, but the project remained unfunded.

According to Virginia Traffic Records Electronic Data System, there have been 124 crashes and 65 injuries on Lee Chapel Road from 2017-2022. People who drive along the road have expressed concern — with more than 10,000 signing a petition on change.org.

“We just have a lot of traffic in this area and so anything that they could do to just slow things down and make it safer for all drivers [would be good], said Rebecca Ginnetti, who drives along the road. “But especially young people who are just learning to navigate the roads.”