Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay emailed today to say that Fairfax County supervisors voted today to spend $10 million to ease congestion at two of the worst intersections near Fort Belvoir.  Telegraph Road will be widened from two to four lanes between South Kings Highway and South Van Dorn Street.

During rush hour, drivers routinely spend 20 minutes waiting to pass through the two Telegraph Road intersections, just hundreds of feet apart, said Supervisor McKay, who pushed for the road improvement. ”There was an enormous growth in traffic after Sept. 11 that hasn’t let up at all,” he said. “It’s Armageddon out there. Without this, you would have a situation that is completely unbearable.”

Citing security concerns, the U.S. Department of Defense after the Sept. 11 attacks shut down Woodlawn Road, a public road within the fort, causing traffic to double on Telegraph Road. Route 1 and Telegraph Road are the lone major roadways near the base. The military’s Base Realignment and Closure program is expected to bring thousands more people — and vehicles — to the area beginning in September 2011.

The $10 million effort will affect about 1500 feet of roadway. The widening was originally a Virginia Department of Transportation project, but state funding disappeared in the wake of budget constraints.

McKay said the expansion would begin in the summer of 2011, at the earliest. Citizen meetings will be held this summer, with a public information meeting in late September. Because federal funds are involved, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires an environmental document be approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).