For Immediate Release
July 8, 2022

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will hold a virtual community meeting to discuss updates on the Soapstone Connector on Monday, July 18, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. The project seeks to provide a direct connection between Sunset Hills Road and Sunrise Valley Drive over the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) in Reston. Specifically, staff will present the Revised Environmental Assessment (EA), which was approved for public availability by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on May 4, 2022. The Revised EA documents changes to the project or its impacts since the completion of the EA in August 2017, including consideration of the newly-designated historic district on Association Drive. While progress on the environmental review for the Soapstone Connector has been continuous since the completion of the EA in 2017, this is the first public meeting on the project since July 19, 2018.

The project team also will share information about:

• A Draft Individual Section 4(f) Evaluation, which was completed in accordance with Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966 as a result of the Association Drive Historic District designation. The 4(f) Evaluation documents the analysis that determined there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the use of land from the Historic District. FHWA approved the 4(f) Evaluation for public availability on Oct. 28, 2020.
• A Draft Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), which has been prepared in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act to resolve the project’s adverse effects on the Association Drive Historic District. Mitigation measures are presented as discrete stipulations in the MOA. This draft document is available for review in the appendix of the Revised Environmental Assessment.

To join the meeting:

• Login via the Webex Meeting Link
• Dial In: 1-844-621-3956; Access Code: 2334 799 6116
• New to Webex? Please see FCDOT’s Virtual Meeting Instructions

Public comments will be accepted through Monday, Aug. 1, by using the comment form on the project webpage, calling FCDOT at 703-877-5600 or in writing [Fairfax County Department of Transportation Soapstone Connector Project, 4050 Legato Road, Suite 400, Fairfax, VA 22030]. For more information, visit the project webpage.

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The Soapstone Connector project is funded in part by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.