Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Loudoun County Parkway Interchange Construction Begins

From yesterday's Leesburg Today comes word that construction is set to begin on the Loudoun County Parkway/Route 7 interchange.

The paper reports, that "Despite the snow that fell on Loudoun today, area residents and county government representatives gathered in Ashburn to celebrate the beginning of construction on the Rt. 7/Loudoun County Parkway interchange, the next step to turning Rt. 7 into a limited-access highway. The Loudoun County Parkway interchange is the county's first foray into the road construction business, with project funding approved at referendum in November 2006."

"As part of the changes coming with the interchange, the traffic lights at George Washington Boulevard, Presidential Boulevard and Smith Circle will all be removed. The entrance point north and south of Rt. 7 at Richfield Way and George Washington Boulevard will be turned into cul-de-sacs. Richfield Way will be accessed through the extension of Russell Branch Parkway east of Loudoun County Parkway. In addition, the first intersection with Smith Circle at Rt. 7 will be made a cul-de-sac when construction is complete; however, the land between the cul-de-sac and Rt. 7 will be constructed of grass grown over concrete ... to allow emergency vehicles to access the homes along Smith Circle and north."

The paper reports that the interchange is estimated to be completed within 18 months.

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4 comments:

  1. This is probably the best news I have heard in six years of living in Loudoun County. The bottleneck that those traffic lights create all the way back to Belmont Ridge is one of the biggest hassles of commuting in this area. With those bottlenecks removed, more traffic will be able to pass quickly either onto 28 South or east on 7 into Sterling. Praise God!

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  2. The traffic light at the corner of Rt 50 and Gum Springs is a favorite by the police. It quickly switches from yellow to red typical of a slower rated zone (35mph) instead of a what you expect to find on a major road (55mph). Is there a website that allows you to petition for a survey to be conducted at that intersection so the time on the yellow light can be adjusted?

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  3. The Virginia Department of Transportation handles traffic signal timing. You'll need to contact the Northern Virginia District office at 703-383-VDOT. You can e-mail them at mailto:NOVAinfo@vdot.virginia.gov. Also, here's a link to a VDOT online brochure about traffic signals.
    http://www.virginiadot.org/info/faq-trafficsignals.asp

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  4. How would I find out if there are plans to change or alter the Loudoun County Parkway near Evergreen Mills Rd?

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