reston's fairway drive underpass

The Public Art Master Plan for Reston, adopted in December 2008, identifies the underpasses that carry Reston's path system under major roadways as locations for new artwork commissions. By partnering artists with Reston's elementary schools and community organizations these projects seek to create permanent enhancements in public spaces throughout Reston.

One of Reston's most beloved artworks, North Shore Drive Underpass, was integrated into the original development of the Lake Anne Village Center in the early-1960s. In 2009, Public Art Reston commissioned its first permanent public artwork at the Glade Drive underpass, Emerge by Valerie Theberge. The mosaic mural includes elements created by Hunters Woods Elementary School students during artist-led workshops. In 2019, Ben Volta was selected for the Colts Neck Road Underpass Project. Thoreau's Ensemble incorporates 700+ drawings made in workshops with elementary school students and seniors. It was a Top 100 finalist in the 2019 Codaworx Awards.

Reston's remaining 22 underpasses, however, have not benefited from such careful design or the integration of artworks. Public Art Reston will support the creation of new permanent artworks in and around the remaining underpasses. The organization will continue to facilitate projects that couple artworks by professional artists with artworks by local students and community members.

The community that lives in the neighborhood around Lake Anne Village Center is very diverse, both economically and culturally. Currently, many residents avoid the underpass due to problems with safety and the walls of the underpass are regularly subject to tagging and graffiti. The process and the outcome envisioned for this project are to give a sense of ownership and safety to the community and to the current and future users of the underpass.

Proposals will be evaluated based on aesthetic quality, sensitivity to community, responsiveness to functionality, feasibility, and compatibility with the existing underpass design. Ease of upkeep and long-term maintenance will also be a consideration. The artist selected will have to engage students through workshops that will either lead to direct involvement in the creation of the artwork or that will be aligned with the artist’s medium.

The exterior concrete walls that frame the Fairway Drive underpass extend up to 19 feet and rise to a height of 10 feet. The underpass is approximately 58 feet long.