March Update on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail

The March issue of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project newsletter (PDF) is online. Among the articles, look back at the first year of Dulles Rail construction, Route 7 changes and more.

According to the update, more than 95 percent of the construction of manholes and duct banks necessary for relocating the 21 utilities in the Route 7 alignment area have been completed. Some overhead power lines have been permanently removed and utility crews are now working in those manholes underground to connect the new lines.

In addition, 214 caissons, underground supports for the aerial structures, have been built and more than 207 concrete sections of the aerial guideway that will support the rail track have been built at a staging area at Dulles Airport.

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Nieghboring Bus Service to Tysons Corner Not That Crowded So Far

According to a report on InsideNoVa.com, four commuter buses from Woodbridge bound for Tysons Corner are running less than half full, leaving transportation officials hoping more people will ditch their cars for the bus.

"The Tysons Corner Express runs four weekday morning trips, with stops at the Virginia Railway Express station in Woodbridge and a commuter lot at Va. 123 and Interstate 95. Each weekday afternoon, the bus runs four return trips, picking up passengers at points in Tysons Corner and bringing them back to Woodbridge.

"Each bus has wireless Internet access – a first for public transit buses in Virginia – and open seating where riders can use their laptops while easing their way to work without the headaches of driving their cars in Beltway traffic, said Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission spokeswoman Christine Rodrigo.

"But with all of the amenities, the $3 million state-funded bus service is running at only 14 percent capacity, carrying an average of 66 passengers per day, an average of 17 riders per trip."

Is the "success" of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission bus service about what you think it would be or does it just need more time to catch on? And overall, do you think bus service is worth the expense to the taxpayer?

Leave your comments below.

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Study of VRE extension to Gainesville, Haymarket approved

From the Dulles Home Guy blog...

"The planned VRE commuter rail extension from  Manassas to Gainesville and Haymarket moves forward with the required environmental study and preliminary engineering work according to the Washington Post."

The Post article reports that "the commuter rail service's Operations Board authorized a roughly $2.7 million contract with STV/Ralph Whitehead Associates, a consulting firm that will run an environmental study and provide preliminary engineering services on the proposal to extend VRE 11 miles on Norfolk Southern's B line into the Gainesville-Haymarket area."

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Route 15 Closure

From the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office...

Route 15 will be closed down between St. Clair Lane and the Village of
Lucketts for a short time to clear a single vehicle crash into a
utility pole.

For real-time traffic information worked by the Loudoun County
Sheriff's Office please visit www.loudoun.gov/traffic or via Web
browsing on your cell phone at www.loudoun.gov/mobiletraffic.

"Pothole Blitz" Begins

The Loudoun Independent reports that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will focus efforts during March on patching the thousands of potholes across Virginia.

"Potholes are generally commonplace after heavy snow and cold weather, as the perspiration seeps between the cracks in concrete, expands, freezes and then thaws—weakening the concrete and eventually prompting the road to crack and break apart.

"While a plethora of potholes are not uncommon come springtime, according to VDOT this year has been especially tough—as repair crews have been hindered by nearly constant snow."

To report a pothole, visit www.VirginiaDOT.org or call VDOT’s Highway Helpline at 800-367-7689 (ROAD).

  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.

Route 7 Utility Relocation (Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project) Continues

The Virginia Mega Projects Web site reports that lane closures will continue this coming week on service roads on both sides of Leesburg Pike (Route 7) as crews relocate utilities in the Tysons Corner area in preparation of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project.

Visit www.vamegaprojects.com/trafficandtravelinfo.html for the latest lane closures and construction impacts.

  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.

For "Safety" Reasons, Metro to Spend $162,000 to Re-Number Rail Cars

According to a Metro press release, "to enhance rail passenger safety" Metro is installing new train identification numbers atop all 1,130 rail cars.

The retrofit, which began last fall, removes the 2¼ inch, non-reflective exterior car numbers below the operator’s window and installs new, reflective five-inch numbers atop the end of each rail car. Metro reports that the program also features the installation of new, interior rail car door leaf numbers that makes it easier to identify a rail car door number if there is an issue with a door.

For our Loudoun County commuters that use Metrorail, we thought you'd like to know that the retrofit program is costing $162,000, which includes material, labor, installation, and the design for the exterior rail car and interior door leaf numbers.

Of course we guess there's some good news... without the recent fare hike we can only assume that the cost of re-numbering the rail cars would've been higher.

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Still No Decision On Planned Rt. 606 Metro Station

Leesburg Today reports that despite holding a work session on the matter Tuesday, the "Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has not yet reached a decision about whether to move the location of the Rt. 606 rail station and it appears the decision about whether to even study the issue will not be made until later this month.

"After more than an hour of debate, the board voted to hold off on deciding whether to evaluate a new location for the planned Rt. 606 Metro station, farther west than the current location. The two options under consideration for a new siting are the western- most location, which would include a two fare-gate station design and three pedestrian pavilions, and a more central option, which would include one fare gate and one pedestrian pavilion.

"The current location would include one station entrance on the north side of the Dulles Greenway and one pedestrian bridge. The site is planned for parking of 2,750 cars, as it is meant to be the commuter station for Loudoun residents and those living farther west."

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Bus Preference Survey Available on Loudoun County Web Site for Tysons Commuters

Loudoun County is seeking input from residents who work in Tysons Corner and have an interest in riding the Tysons Express bus service beginning this summer.

Residents who were unable to take part in the Tysons Express public input sessions conducted by the Loudoun County Office of Transportation Services may provide their comments by participating in the Tysons Express Bus Service Preference Survey up until March 10, 2010. The survey is available online at www.loudoun.gov/bus-tysons. Paper copies of the survey may be obtained by calling 703-777-0119. A free, reloadable SmarTrip® card ($5.00 value) will be provided to those who work in Tysons Corner, complete the entire survey and provide their names and mailing addresses.

Tysons Express will begin service this summer between park-and-ride lots in Broadlands South and Leesburg and various employment sites in Tysons Corner. Passenger fares will be $3.00 per ride when paid with a SmarTrip® card or $3.50 cash per ride.

Tysons Express is being funded by the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. The project includes a Transportation Management Plan (TMP) designed to offset the traffic congestion that normally results with construction in or adjacent to a roadway system. One of the primary goals of the TMP is to improve transportation for those traveling from Loudoun County to Tysons Corner during the construction of the rail project.

The new express bus service to Tysons Corner will offer Loudoun County residents the opportunity to avoid the congestion experienced by most motorists traveling in the area. The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved the use of TMP funds for this purpose and the Office of Transportation Services has initiated the purchase of four commuter coaches to begin the service.

More information, including a list of frequently asked questions, is available on the Loudoun County Web site at www.loudoun.gov/bus-tysons. 

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Sheriff's Office Now on Twitter and Facebook

In an effort to further reach out to the community the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office announced the agency is now on Facebook and Twitter.

Members of the Facebook community are encouraged to become a fan of the Sheriff’s Office page on Facebook (search Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office). For those who prefer to receive tweets, you can follow the agency at www.twitter.com/loudounsheriff.

The agency has integrated the Alert Loudoun system with the two social media sites. Alerts issued through the system will appear as status updates on the Facebook fan page and be sent as tweets through Twitter. The Alert Loudoun system currently has over 60-thousand subscribers but the Loudoun Sheriff’s Office is using the social media sites in an attempt to reach out to a wider audience.

Over the past several years the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has been using technology to allow residents to stay informed and to better serve the community. Among those online resources is www.loudoun.gov/traffic (also available via web browsing cell phones at www.loudoun.gov/mobiletraffic) - which lists traffic incidents worked by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Middleburg Police Department and the Purcellville Police Department. Traffic-related issues worked by the Virginia State Police will be listed if the trooper was dispatched by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Emergency Communications Center. Traffic incidents worked by the Leesburg Police Department are not listed.

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