The Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride garage, located on Sunrise Valley Drive south of the Dulles Toll Road, will be undergoing major structural repair and maintenance beginning March 31.

Those who use the 1,745-space garage will be impacted during the process as areas of the garage will be blocked off in four phases for the construction project. The majority of the project is expected to be complete by September 2012. The four phases are from March 31 - May 12, May 12 - June 23, June 23 - July 28 and July 28 - September 1.

Barriers and signs will be posted letting commuters know where construction areas are through the four phases of the project. There will also be notices posted two weeks in advance of any significant closings. Staff members will be on site from 7 a.m. to noon each weekday to assist commuters. For more project information visit Fairfax County’s website, here.

Each of the three stairwells will undergo construction and be closed at some point during the project. Only one stairwell will be closed at a time. The elevator will be shut down during phase three but will be open for phases one, two and four. No overnight parking will be allowed in the garage, and cars parked overnight will be towed.

The Dulles Toll Road entrance to the garage will be closed for about one week at the beginning of phase two. The Sunrise Valley Drive entrance to the garage will be closed for about one week at the beginning of phase three. The third floor exit ramp that leads to westbound Dulles Toll Road will be closed at some point during phase three, but will not coincide with the entrance being closed. Commuters are advised to proceed with caution in the garage and watch for detours.

During each phase about 450 of the 1,745 parking spaces will be unavailable. Parking alternatives with travel to the West Falls Church Metro Station include:  

• Reston South Park and Ride: 2531 Reston Parkway (near the intersection of Reston Parkway and Fox Mill Road); 412 spaces; served by Fairfax Connector routes 553, 557 and 585

• Sunset Hills Park and Ride: 12050 Sunset Hills Road (near the intersection of Sunset Hills Road and Town Center Parkway); 603 spaces; served by Fairfax Connector routes 505 and 555 

Other commuting alternatives for Herndon-Monroe customers include:

 • Join a carpool or vanpool - call Fairfax County's RideSources program for free ride-matching at 703-877-5900, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/sources.htm.

• Nuride is a free, online carpool-matching service for temporary ride-sharing arrangements. For information, visitwww.nuride.com.

• Bike and Ride – To learn how to use the bicycle racks on the Fairfax Connector, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/riders/bike.htm.

• Kiss and Ride - You can be dropped off at Herndon-Monroe’s Kiss and Ride. The Kiss and Ride will also be available for limited parking (approximately 10 spaces) during the temporary closure.