Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659) Widening

Loudoun County officials are celebrating the completion of another major road improvement project that will help alleviate traffic congestion: the widening of Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659) from Gloucester Parkway to Hay Road. Members of the Board of Supervisors joined with representatives of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) and others for a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday.

 

"In Loudoun County, we have found innovative ways to fund critical congestion-relieving projects for our residents," said Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis J. Randall, who also serves as vice chair of NVTA. "I look forward to continuing our strong partnership with VDOT, NVTA and others to reduce traffic that ensures families can spend more quality time together."

 

The project reconstructed and widened a nearly two-mile segment of Belmont Ridge Road from two lanes to a four-lane, median-divided roadway with shared use paths on both sides of the roadway. Other improvements include:

• A new bridge over the W&OD Trail, which improves the safety of bicyclists, pedestrians and equestrians who use the trail
• A new parking lot for users of the W&OD Trail
• Noise barriers for the Belmont Ridge and Belmont Forest communities
• Traffic signal modifications.

 

"Projects like the Belmont Ridge Road widening are regionally impactful and illustrate the ongoing need to improve the region's multimodal transportation network," said Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Chairman Martin E. Nohe, who is also the Coles District Supervisor in Prince William County. "Northern Virginians will be able to travel more safely and easily and spend less time on the road, allowing them to get home to their families faster. It is amazing to see these congestion-relieving improvements that began more than two years ago come to fruition."

 

The road improvements will relieve traffic on Belmont Ridge Road and other area roadways as well as allow motorists to travel directly to community destinations such as libraries, schools, hospitals, the Brambleton Public Safety Center, and multiple retail and commercial establishments.  

 

"VDOT is proud of our strong partnership with Loudoun County, the NVTA, and our contractor community who is delivering another quality project for commuters and trail users in Northern Virginia," said VDOT Northern Virginia District Engineer Helen Cuervo.

 

The cost of the project currently totals approximately $52 million, including a combination of local, NVTA regional and state dollars. This is the first roadway project that NVTA fully reimbursed to Loudoun County. Funding expended to-date includes $30.8 million from Loudoun County, $20 million from NVTA, and $1.8 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia. The project was administered by VDOT. Final project costs will be reported in the coming months as the project's financial closeout takes place.

 

In conjunction with several other road roadway improvement projects, including the Route 7-659 interchange construction project, Belmont Ridge Road will eventually be a four-lane roadway from Route 7 to Evergreen Mills Road.

Sobriety Checkpoint Tonight, Friday, Nov. 2

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office will conduct a sobriety checkpoint tonight, Friday, Nov. 2, beginning shortly after 10 p.m.  ​

Members of the Loudoun Sheriff's Office Auxiliary Unit and volunteers from the Loudoun Chapter of MADD will assist with the checkpoint. "

The sobriety checkpoint is a reminder to residents to make the smart choice, don't drink and drive," said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman. ​

Loudoun County Unveils New Online Resource: GeoHub

Loudoun County is introducing the Loudoun GeoHub, a new, online resource that provides residents with easy access to the county's location-based data. The Loudoun GeoHub is a geographic information system website and open data platform that features interactive mapping applications, informative dashboards and topical story maps. 

Through the Loudoun GeoHub, you can view, download and share GIS data at no cost. In addition, users may sign up for a free public online account through Esri, the county's software vendor, to create and save their own customized interactive maps using the available open data. The Loudoun GeoHub runs on a platform developed by Esri. The technology also improves the county's ability to share GIS data and maps across departments and with external agencies. 

Two applications of the Loudoun GeoHub technology already in use in Loudoun County include:

• Loudoun County's participation in the Waze Connected Citizens Program: Local incident data from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is provided directly to Waze, the world's largest community-based traffic and navigation app.
  
• Find My Bus Stop: This web application provides real-time Loudoun County Transit bus information and allows bus riders to search stops near an address or location on the map.

Esri also provided the county with tools to help host, process and analyze the Office of Mapping and Geographic Information's extensive collection of aerial imagery of the county, which dates back to 1937 and is available on the Loudoun GeoHub.

Members of the community are encouraged to explore the new online resource at www.loudoun.gov/GeoHub.

The Loudoun GeoHub is currently organized around the Board of Supervisors' strategic initiative areas and includes applications focusing on transportation, the development of a new Comprehensive Plan, affordable housing, public safety, economic development and human services.

Rt. 7 Night Closures Continue for Work on Rt. 7/659 Interchange

Loudoun County transportation officials have announced that nighttime road closures and lane closures on Route 7 will continue into November to accommodate work on the Route 7/659 (Belmont Ridge Road) interchange project.

In addition, the night work may also include single lane closures on north and southbound Belmont Ridge Road to allow for pavement surfacing. The extended time frame for the roadwork from the end of October into November is a direct result of the rainy weather that has limited work activity since August.  

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In order to complete the work before the Thanksgiving holiday, the contractor will be working six nights per week, Sunday through Friday night/Saturday morning. As previously announced, nighttime work will begin as early as 9 p.m. for Route 7 eastbound and 10 p.m. for Route 7 westbound, including weekends, to allow for longer work periods. Night work on Route 659 will begin as early as 9 p.m.  All nighttime work will conclude prior to peak morning traffic as coordinated and approved by the Virginia Department of Transportation. ​

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In advance of nighttime work, electronic message boards will be posted prior to each planned lane and road closure. Motorists are encouraged to use caution in construction zones and along the detour routes throughout the duration of the project. ​

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More information, including maps of the planned lane closures and detour routes, is online at www.loudoun.gov/route7-659.  ​

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Questions about the project can be emailed to the Loudoun County Department of Transportation & Capital Infrastructure at route7-659@loudoun.gov.​

Route 15 Concept Preference Survey Open Through October 17

Loudoun County encourages residents to participate in an online survey about safety and operational improvements proposed for Route 15 between Montresor Road and the Point of Rocks Bridge. The survey will be open through Wednesday, October 17.​

The survey presents three options for consideration:

• No Build – Keep the road as is.​
• Option A – Keep Route 15 as two lanes but add a median and adequate shoulders between Montresor Road and St. Clair Lane; the segment north of St. Clair Lane would remain two lanes undivided but would add shoulders to that portion of the road.​
• Option B – Widen Route 15 to four lanes with a median between Montresor Road and the southern portion of the Village of Lucketts, and improve the roadway section between Lucketts and St. Clair Lane to provide safety improvements described in Option A.​

Both options A and B propose a bypass around the Village of Lucketts.  The survey also asks if there is a preference for the bypass to be located on the east or west side of Lucketts.​

The survey is a follow up to an open house hosted by the Loudoun County's Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure on September 26. 

More information about the Route 15 Safety and Operations study, including links to the survey and the proposed improvement concepts, may be found at www.loudoun.gov/route15.

Removal of On-Street Parking on Maple Leaf Place/Jennings Farm Drive Begins Oct. 15

Loudoun County is administering an improvement project in the Maple Leaf Place and Jennings Farm Drive area of Sterling to remove on-street parking. The project is being implemented to improve pedestrian and motorist safety. 

Due to the narrow width of these roadways, the current on-street parking on both sides of these streets will be eliminated.

Effective Monday, Oct. 15, when work is scheduled to begin, on-street parking will no longer be permitted on these streets. Vehicles parked on these streets on or after Oct. 15 will be towed. 

The improvements, as directed by the Board of Supervisors, include the removal of existing pavement markings, elimination of the shadow of old pavement markings, and installation of new pavement markings and signage compliant with current standards of the Virginia Department of Transportation.  

The work is scheduled to occur from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, from Oct. 15 to Nov. 2, 2018, weather permitting. Access to all properties will be maintained during the work.  

Questions about the project may be directed to Loudoun County Construction Program Manager Scott Worrest of the Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure at 571-258-3876.

Nighttime Lane Closures on Rt. 7 at Rt. 659 Scheduled This Week

Nighttime lane closures and detours are scheduled to occur this week on westbound Route 7 at the Route 659 (Belmont Ridge Road) interchange Monday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 5, beginning at 10 p.m. each night.

The work will conclude by 6 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, Oct. 5. On Saturday, Oct. 6, the work will conclude by 9 a.m.

A map of the westbound detour that will be in place during the closure process can be found at https://www.loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/135865.

Sept. 26 Open House on Route 15 Safety and Operational Study

Loudoun County is hosting an open house on the Route 15 Safety and Operational Study on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Members of the public are invited to view material associated with the study and provide comments on proposed improvement concepts.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, 7-8:30 p.m., at Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Leesburg.

The segment of Route 15 between Montresor Road and the Maryland state line is the focus of the Route 15 Safety and Operational Study.  An analysis of the existing conditions has been prepared, public input has been analyzed to identify the key issues of this corridor, and improvement concepts have been prepared. A summary of the public input will be presented at the open house meeting, conceptual improvement alternatives will be displayed and the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and express their comments.​

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More information about the Route 15 Safety and Operational Study is online at www.loudoun.gov/Route15.

Loudoun County to Launch New Metro Connection Bus Service from Purcellville Oct. 1

Beginning Monday, Oct. 1, Loudoun County Transit will operate Metro Connection bus service from the new park and ride lot in Purcellville to the Silver Line Metrorail Station at Wiehle-Reston East.  

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This direct, non-stop bus service will depart from 412 Browning Court beginning at 4:45 a.m., Monday through Friday, with trips every half hour until 8:45 a.m. Buses will also pick up passengers wishing to travel to Purcellville from Wiehle-Reston East in the morning from 5:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. In the afternoon, buses will make return trips to Purcellville from Wiehle-Reston East from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and from Purcellville to Wiehle-Reston East from 3:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.  ​

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Route 931 is the designation for Purcellville departures and Route 932 for Wiehle-Reston East departures. Normally these trips would have a cash fare of $1, but through the month of October, Loudoun County's Metro Connection bus service is free.  ​

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This new Metro Connection bus service from Purcellville and the free bus rides are offered through the ISHARE66 Commuter Incentives program, designed to reduce traffic congestion and promote alternative modes of transportation through the Interstate 66 corridor. The incentives are funded through the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission's I-66 Commuter Choice program and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Details on other incentives and commuter rewards can be found at ishare66.org.​

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More information about Loudoun Transit's Metro Connection bus service is online at www.loudoun.gov/silverlinebuses.