Washington Post Reports the Signal at Sycolin Road, Bypass to be Removed

According to the Washington Post, "Loudoun County News in Brief" section, the traffic signal at the Route 7/15 Bypass and Sycolin Road will be removed permanently June 8. Traffic on the bypass will not have access to Sycolin Road, north or south.
 
To get to the bypass from Sycolin Road, Leesburg Executive Airport, Philip Bolen Park and other locations, drivers must use the Dulles Greenway or take Route 7 to Battlefield Parkway. Exits 1 (Leesburg Bypass) and 2 (Miller Drive/Battlefield Parkway) on the Dulles Greenway are toll-free.
 
The Post reports that the closing is for the construction of the Sycolin Overpass, which is expected to take approximately 14 months. During the project, Sycolin Road will be closed from Gateway Drive to Hope Parkway.
 
For information, visit the Virginia Department of Transportation's Project Web page, www.virginiadot.org/projects, or call 800-367-7623.
 

 

Dulles Greenway’s Drive for Charity Raises Over $268,000

The Ashburn Patch reports that the Dulles Greenway's 8th annual Drive For Charity last Thursday raised more money than any previous year, tallying $268,942.85 that will be donated to local charities and a local scholarship program.
 
Read the Patch story for more.

 

Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 17

The annual Bike to Work Day event is tomorrow, Friday, May 17.

Loudoun County will again host two Bike to Work Day pit stops – one in Leesburg and one in Sterling – where participants will enjoy refreshments and receive prizes and giveaways. You can bike all the way to work or just part of the way and participate.

In 2012, more than 450 bicycle commuters visited the Loudoun County pit stops. Across the region, more than 12,000 people participated in the event.

More information about Bike to Work Day is available at www.loudoun.gov/biketowork and www.biketoworkmetrodc.org.

   For the latest Loudoun County traffic news and information, subscribe to Loudoun County Traffic via your favorite RSS reader, or get Loudoun County Traffic by e-mail.

Silver Line Phase 2

The Ashburn Patch has a story today on the Silver Line. According to author Dusty Smith, "The notion of riding Metro from a station in Ashburn to Reston Town Center, Tysons Corner or Washington, DC, moved another small step toward reality Wednesday when the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors cemented its selection of Capital Rail Constructors to build Phase 2 of the Silver Line.
 
The Patch quoted Jack Potter, President and CEO, who said, "This is the first of many milestones to come for the second phase of the Silver Line."
 
Phase 1 of the 23-mile extension runs from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue and could begin carrying passengers by the end of the year. Passengers will be able to stay on Silver Line trains East of Falls Church because they will share the Orange Line track.
 
The Patch article adds that while the contract award for Phase 2 marks progress, local residents won't see any dirt turning for quite some time. According to a quoted source, the contract has a 60-month completion clause, meaning a completion date around July 2018.
 
Read the complete Patch article for more details on Phase 2 of the Silver Line.


 

Dulles Greenway Drive For Charity is Thursday, May 16

Tomorrow, Thursday, May 16, is the day. That's the day that paying the toll on the Dulles Greenway will have special meaning for local charities. It's the 8th annual Dulles Greenway Drive For Charity, a one-day event that raises thousands of dollars that go directly back into the local community.

According to a story in the Leesburg Patch, “Each year, the money raised has increased, and last year’s event raised $261,000, divided among five local charities: The March of Dimes, Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter, Every Citizen Has Opportunity (ECHO), Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Fresh Air/Full Care,” said Terry Hoffman, spokesman for the Dulles Greenway. “Regardless of what you think of the Greenway or if you do not usually drive on it, drive it May 16 to help these organizations.”

In addition, Hoffman said they have set up a Dulles Greenway Scholarship fund that awards 12 local students – one from each county high school – $1,500 scholarships. Students are selected based on citizenship and community service.

Read the full Leesburg Patch article on the Drive for Charity.

   For the latest Loudoun County traffic news and information, subscribe to Loudoun County Traffic via your favorite RSS reader, or get Loudoun County Traffic by e-mail.

CNN Reports: U.S. Safety Board Proposes Tougher Drunk-driving Threshold

CNN reports that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today recommended that all 50 states lower the benchmark for determining when a driver is legally drunk from 0.08 blood-alcohol content to 0.05. The idea is part of an initiative to eliminate drunken driving, which accounts for about a third of all road deaths.
 
Lowering the rate to 0.05 would save about 500 to 800 lives every year, the safety board said.
 
The NTSB cannot mandate changes, but the agency is influential on matters of public safety.
 
Under current law, a 180-pound male typically will hit the 0.08 threshold after drinking four drinks in an hour, according to an online blood alcohol calculator published by the University of Oklahoma. 
 
Read more from CNN.


 

Mobile DMV is Coming to Dulles South Station on Wednesday, May 15

The DMV 2 Go mobile customer service center will be at the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Dulles South Public Safety Center this Wednesday, May 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 
The mobile customer service center allows residents to apply for or renew your ID card (available for adults and children), apply for or renew your driver's license, update your DMV information,  obtain vehicle titles, license plates, decals, and transcripts, order disabled parking placards or plates and other services.
 
DMV 2 Go is a fleet of five mobile customer service centers that bring DMV services to Virginia residents at convenient locations across the state. For more information on the program and the services provided, visit www.dmvNOW.com.
 
The Dulles South Public Safety Center is located at 25216 Loudoun County Parkway in Chantilly.
 
For more information on upcoming Loudoun Sheriff's Office meetings and events, visit sheriff.loudoun.gov/lcsocalendar.

 

Sheriffs and State Police Sobriety Checkpoint Tonight, Friday, May 10

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police will conduct a sobriety checkpoint tonight, Friday, May 10 in Loudoun County.
 
"When you drink and drive, you are putting the community at risk when you get behind the wheel," said Loudoun County Sheriff Michael L. Chapman. "Make the smart choice, don't drink and drive," he added.
 
Members of the Sheriff's Office Auxiliary Unit and volunteers from the Loudoun Chapter of MADD will assist with the checkpoint.
 

Breaking News: Beaverdam Bridge Road Closed in Both Directions

Members of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office are currently on the scene of a suicidal man in the 20400 block of Beaverdam Bridge Road near Philomont. 
 
There is no immediate threat to the community; however residents in the immediate area have been asked to stay inside their homes and Beaverdam Bridge Road has been closed in both directions between Jeb Stuart Road and Stone Manor Lane as a precaution. 
 
The agency's Hostage-Negotiations Unit is currently on the scene and in contact with the man who is alone and inside a vehicle. 
 
More details will be released as they become available.

 

Silver Line Update: Supervisors Hoping for Savings with Federal Loan

The Ashburn Patch reports today that during a presentation Wednesday about the second phase of Metro's Silver Line came news that the project appears to be nearing final approval for a federal loan that will save Loudoun millions and concerns about potential development on Dulles International Airport property.  
Last month, bids came in for the bulk of the project and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the entity tasked with constructing the project, indicated it would likely chose a $1.18 billion bid by Capital Rail Constructors, which includes Clark Construction Group and Kiewit Infrastructure South. That bid was lower than the anticipated $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion cost.
 
Loudoun County's share of the project equals 4.8 percent of the total project, including phase one. In addition, Loudoun is attempting to find a private partner to construct three parking garages, estimated to cost $130 million.
 
Patch reports that the county has set aside $300 million in its capital improvement plan to pay for the project and a federal TIFIA loan could mean lower interest rates and a much lower overall cost during the life of the loan.
 
Read the complete Ashburn Patch article by Dusty Smith.