Speed limits on three McLean-area roads will drop from 25 to 20 mph as early as the week of Oct. 19 under a new Fairfax County pilot program.

Douglass Drive, a small segment of Baron Road and Ingleside Avenue are among 10 county roads selected for the test, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) announced Oct. 15. All three sit in the Dranesville District. The new speed limits take effect as soon as signs go up, FCDOT spokesperson Jennifer DeAngelis told FFXnow, which first reported the timeline.

The specific McLean segments are:

  • Douglass Drive from Georgetown Pike to Baron Road
  • Baron Road from Randolph Road to Ingleside Avenue
  • Ingleside Avenue from Baron Road to Dolley Madison Boulevard (Route 123)

Seven other roads in the Mason and Providence districts round out the pilot. No physical changes to the roads are planned. FCDOT will collect traffic speed and volume data before and after the signs go up, with an evaluation period expected to run into early 2027, according to the county's pilot study page.

The pilot traces back to a 2024 state law. The Virginia General Assembly approved House Bill 1071 that year, giving localities the power to lower speed limits below 25 mph on residential and business-district roads, as long as they post signs and notify the state.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 10-0 on June 9 to authorize the program, as FFXnow reported. The county estimated signage costs at about $24,000 spread across nine roads. Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman voiced support at that meeting. "Twenty is plenty," Bierman said of speed limits in certain areas, according to FFXnow's account.

FCDOT chose the pilot roads in coordination with supervisors' offices, weighing pedestrian activity, sidewalks, crosswalks, transit stops, nearby schools and the county's Vulnerability Index, which measures socioeconomic disparities. The department also collected resident feedback through community surveys that closed Dec. 31, 2025.

That feedback reshaped the final list.

Two Reston streets originally proposed for the Hunter Mill District were dropped after survey results showed insufficient community support, DeAngelis told FFXnow. Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn's office opted not to proceed with those roads. A segment of Blair Road in the Mason District was added.

After the first three pilot zones are running, FCDOT plans to work with the remaining six Board offices to expand the program to additional districts. The evaluation period is expected to begin in early 2027.