Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Plans Sobriety Checkpoint as Part of St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Enforcement

As part of the agency's enforcement efforts to crackdown on drinking and driving this St. Patrick's Day, a sobriety checkpoint will be held on Friday, March 15. Members of the Sheriff's Office Auxiliary Unit and volunteers from the Loudoun Chapter of MADD will assist with the checkpoint.

"Be responsible or risk a DUI," said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman. "If you are going to celebrate this weekend with alcohol, designate a sober driver before your celebration begins." Sheriff Chapmanalso reminded residents that the Washington Regional Alcohol Program will offer free Lyft rides from 4 p.m. Sunday, March 17 to 4 a.m. the following day, as part of the DC area SoberRide program.

For more information visit www.wrap.org/soberride.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office urges residents to take the following steps to have a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day:

• Plan a designated driver or a safe way home ahead of time.
• If you are impaired, call a taxi or ride-hailing service, or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely.
• Immediately report any impaired drivers you see on our roadways to the LCSO.
• Wear your seatbelt!

Loudoun County Sheriff's Office deputies will be out on patrol and will be on alert for impaired motorists. If you are caught drinking and driving, you will be arrested.

Ride Free on Loudoun County Transit to Metro Stations March 4-30

Beginning Monday, March 4, and continuing through March 30, passengers will ride free on Loudoun County Transit buses that provide connections to the Wiehle-Reston East and West Falls Church Metrorail stations.

The free rides will be available on all Loudoun Transit routes that serve Metrorail stations. Bus schedules can be found online at www.loudoun.gov/bus-schedules.

The free bus rides are part of the ISHARE66 Commuter Choice program designed to reduce traffic congestion and promote alternative modes of transportation through the Interstate 66 corridor.

Anyone who currently drives alone to work on I-66 inside the Beltway may be eligible to receive other ISHARE66 commuter incentives by switching to a carpool, vanpool or transit. In addition to the free bus rides, other commuter incentives include:

• $100 gasoline cards for new carpools;
• $500 toward expenses for new vanpools; and
• Up to $300 in Smartrip® cards for new premium commuter bus riders.

Details about the incentives are available at ishare66.org.

Anyone interested in exploring better ways to commute to work is encouraged to contact Loudoun County Commuter Services, which provides personalized trip planning for anyone looking to save time, money, or reduce the stress of commuting. More information is online at www.loudoun.gov/commute or by calling 703-771-5665.

Loudoun County Celebrates Completion of Claiborne Parkway

Loudoun County officials are celebrating the completion of another significant road project that will relieve traffic congestion: the completion of the missing link of Claiborne Parkway between Croson Lane and Ryan Road. ​

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The project, which was managed by Loudoun County, constructed approximately 4,000 feet of a four-lane, median-divided roadway with a shared use path on one side of the road and a sidewalk on the other. There are also two traffic signals associated with the project.  ​

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On Wednesday, members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors joined with other officials, Loudoun County government staff, members of the project team and members of the community for a ceremonial ribbon cutting.​

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Claiborne Parkway is a north/south regional roadway, extending from Route 7 to Loudoun County Parkway. The new road segment, which is scheduled to open to traffic following the ribbon cutting ceremony, will allow motorists to travel directly to community facilities such as schools and Inova Hospital in Lansdowne. The new roadway will also relieve traffic on Belmont Ridge Road and other area roadways and provide alternate access to the Dulles South area in conjunction with the completion of Loudoun County Parkway and Route 606 projects.​

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Construction on the project began in spring 2017. The total cost of the project was approximately $10.8 million.

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.