FAIRFAX STATION, Va. — In an effort to keep his daughter’s legacy alive, Bahman Haftsavar is pushing to rename Lee Chapel Road after her.
It’s been more than a year since 16-year-old Ariana Haftsavar died in a crash along that road. Fairfax County Police said she and her friend, Ashlyn Brotemarkle, were killed when their vehicle lost control. Investigators said Brotemarkle was driving 100.7 miles per hour before the car went airborne around 130 feet.
Since the incident, a petition that garnered more than 14,000 signatures helped push for safety changes on a road that’s been dubbed by some as “Death Road.”
Bahman Haftsavar hopes another petition to rename the road to “Ariana’s Way” will get the same support. The petition says it’s a way for the community to honor her memory while reinforcing the need to prioritize road safety and responsible driving.
He began to print out fliers and is trying to get them to students at the high school she attended.
“That name Lee Chapel brings a bad memory to everyone,” Bahman Haftsavar told WUSA9. “We want her memory to be alive and for the people to remember Ariana for the safety brought to this road.”
Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity said it’s highly unusual to name a road after the crash victim but said there’s an obvious and viable option to partner with the Virginia Department of Transportation to memorialize her. He said the process to rename any roads is to go through the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors before reaching the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
“Renaming a road is not something that we typically do,” Herrity said. “We certainly support memorializing her in other ways.”
For more information on changing the name, click here.
Meanwhile, Herrity’s team is working to conceptualize plans to remove the two hills on the road.
The county secured about $10 million to remove the hills viewed as problematic by drivers and residents. Aside from concerns about speed, the hills block the view of oncoming vehicles in the opposite lane.
He hopes to have another public meeting by early next year to show plans.
“Road projects always take too long, and we’re moving tis one as fast as we can,” he said.
While it’s a lengthy process, Herrity is already anticipating shutting down the road as a potential avenue to expedite the need to change the infrastructure.
“For one, it reduces the cost, and then it reduces the time that road is under construction,” Herrity added. “A lot of advantages but also a lot of disadvantages.”