Washington, D.C. – Congressman James R. Walkinshaw (VA-11) announced today that $13,409,000 in federal funding for critical community projects across Northern Virginia has been secured in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills.
These projects, most of which Walkinshaw originally submitted to then-Congressman Gerry Connolly on behalf of Fairfax County while serving as the Board of Supervisors Legislative Chair, were continued and advanced by Walkinshaw upon his election to Congress. As a Member of Congress, Walkinshaw supported the Appropriations legislation that ultimately funded these community priorities for Virginia’s 11th District.
“From safer streets and stronger public safety infrastructure to clean drinking water, workforce development, and environmental resilience, these investments reflect what Northern Virginia needs to stay safe, competitive, and forward-looking,” said Rep. Walkinshaw. “I was proud to put forward many of these priorities as Braddock District Supervisor, and I was equally proud to support the funding bills in Congress that delivered for our community.”
Transportation, Safety, and Infrastructure Investments
$3,150,000 for Fairfax County Transportation Safety Initiative - Springfield: The Fairfax County Transportation Safety Initiative - Springfield project will implement safety projects in several locations with high crash rates. The project will include evidence-based countermeasures proven to significantly reduce crashes. This is critical to reducing serious bicycle and pedestrian accidents, which continues to be vital as more Virginians walk, bike, and utilize transit to travel across the Washington Metropolitan area and the Commonwealth.
$500,000 for Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Critical Pipeline Infrastructure Modernization - Annandale:
This project replaces aging underground utilities at NOVA’s Annandale Campus to prevent outages and closures that disrupt classes, labs, and essential student services. The investment supports continuity for NOVA’s 16,000 students and strengthens the region’s workforce development pipeline.
Strengthening Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
$1,031,000 for Fairfax County Public Safety Communications Critical Infrastructure Project:
This project will fund technology to support an alternate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP/9-1-1 Center), strengthening continuity of operations so Fairfax can maintain near-zero downtime for emergency communications during outages, emergencies, or other disruptions.
$1,031,000 for Fairfax County Real Time Crime Center Enhancements for Emerging Threats:
This investment upgrades the Fairfax County Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) with enhanced tools to respond to emerging threats, improve real-time information sharing, and strengthen regional situational awareness — building on an asset that has supported thousands of cases and multi-jurisdictional coordination.
$1,000,000 for Strategic Addition and Special Enhancement to the City of Fairfax Police Station:
The City of Fairfax will build a special-purpose 7,000-square-foot addition connected to the existing police station to strengthen training capacity, specialty vehicle storage, and community policing resources. The project will also support recruitment and retention, including upgraded facilities for women officers.
$850,000 for Fairfax County Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) Program:
Funding will support installation of emergency vehicle preemption equipment at key traffic signals along primary response routes, improving response times and reducing crashes involving emergency vehicles and civilian drivers. By safely clearing intersections, the project will help first responders reach emergencies faster and protect the public on heavily traveled roads.
$741,000 for George Mason University Evidence-Based Policing Initiative: GMU will provide a training program to help law enforcement agencies implement evidence-based practices that prevent crime, strengthen community trust, and improve organizational effectiveness. The program combines classroom and field components and will generate best practices that can be replicated by other agencies.
$175,000 for Fairfax County Advanced Disaster Management Simulator (ADMS) Training Project:
This funding supports a virtual reality incident command training platform that helps emergency responders practice complex scenarios in a safe, realistic environment — improving decision-making and disaster readiness without the logistics of large-scale live exercises.
$150,000 for Fairfax County DNA Forensic Project:
This investment will procure a sterile wet-vacuum DNA recovery system that can collect DNA from surfaces traditional methods often miss, strengthening the County’s ability to solve violent crimes and cold cases while reducing costly outsourcing.
Cybersecurity, Environmental Protection, and Public Health
$2,000,000 for W&OD Trail & Town of Vienna Initiative - Vienna:
This funding will help the Town of Vienna acquire and redevelop deteriorated properties along the W&OD Trail to build a welcome center, expand public green space, and improve trail safety through a safer dual network for pedestrians and bicyclists. The welcome center would serve the full 45-mile W&OD Trail, turning a blighted area in Vienna’s commercial core into a vibrant destination that supports economic development while improving safety and access for trail users.
$1,031,000 for PFAS Drinking Water Research Center (Metropolitan Washington Region):
This funding will establish a regional research center to help drinking water systems mitigate PFAS contamination and comply with EPA’s finalized PFAS drinking water standards. The center will coordinate partners, prioritize urgent research, and develop a science-based implementation plan to ensure infrastructure investments are data-driven and protect public health.
$1,000,000 for George Mason University’s Internet Namespace Security Observatory (INSO):
This funding supports a first-in-the-nation research center focused on Domain Name System (DNS) security and resiliency — strengthening the internet against cyberattacks and improving resilience for disruptions, including natural disasters. The center will produce monitoring and research to support DNS modernization and adoption of best practices like DNSSEC.
$750,000 for Fairfax County Street Tree Planting and Heat Island Reduction: Fairfax County will retrofit areas within VDOT rights-of-way for street tree planting to expand the urban tree canopy, reduce heat island impacts in areas with lower canopy coverage, and improve air quality and public health outcomes.
“These investments are about protecting families, strengthening our economy, and preparing Northern Virginia for the challenges ahead,” Walkinshaw said. “Whether it is modernizing 9-1-1 infrastructure, keeping our drinking water safe, improving campus reliability for working students, or advancing cybersecurity research, this funding reflects responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and a clear commitment to results.”
