Supervisor Stirrup e-mail on expected completion dates of five western PW County road projects (24 Mar 2006)

——– Original Message ——–

..Thank you very much for expressing your concerns regarding the transportation projects in Prince William County, especially in the area of Linton Hall, Devlin, I-66, Sudley Manor, and Route 28.

I, as well as Chairman Connaughton, have asked individuals in the County to respond to your specific questions.  I am forwarding the responses to you.

1) Straightening and widening Devlin Road — At this time the County has no funds available to widen Devlin Road, but through two other projects, improvements to Devlin Road intersections are being made.  Through the Linton Hall Road project, the intersection of Devlin and Linton Hall will be improved.  Through the Wellington Road County bond project, the Devlin Road and Balls Ford Road intersections with Wellington Road will be re-aligned to make one intersection with a traffic signal.  This improvement will help traffic flow through that area.  This improvement will be completed later this Spring.

2) Completing Sudley Manor Rd. from Linton Hall to the 234 Bypass and then to Ashton Rd. in Manassas — This project is currently under construction through the 2002 County Road Bond program.  The County is extending Sudley Manor Drive from Chatsworth Drive, through Route 234 Bypass, to Linton Hall Road.  This will be a 4-lane divided highway and is expected to be completed by this Summer [or as now-former Board of County Supervisors Chairman Sean Connaughton notes in a nearly identical message “by November 2006.”]  This project also includes widening Linton Hall Road to a 4-lane divided roadway from Devlin Road to Sudley Manor Drive

3) Widening I-66 to eight lanes all the way to Rte 29 in Gainesville — This is a VDOT project.  VDOT is currently widening I-66 to eight-lanes (including 2 HOV lanes) from Route 234 Business to Route 234 Bypass.  This project should be completed this Fall (2006).  VDOT will also widen I-66 from Route 234 Bypass to Route 29 (Gainesville) to eight-lanes (including 2 HOV lanes) this year.  The project will be advertised for construction this Summer and will most likely begin construction this Fall.  Project completion is anticipated in early 2008.

4) Widening Rte 28 to four lanes from the 234 Bypass to at least Vint Hill — An interim project is currently being done by VDOT.  This project will replace the Route 28 Bridge over Broad Run and will widen Route 28 between Hornbaker Road and Linton Hall Road to a 4-lane undivided roadway.  This interim project is due to begin construction this Summer.  VDOT opened bids on the Rt.28 Bridge yesterday.  The County has also proposed, as part of the 2006 Road Bond Program, the widening of Route 28 to a six lane divided highway from Route 234 Bypass to Vint Hill Road relocated (including the relocation of the intersection of Vint Hill Road and Route 28).

5) Widening Linton Hall to four lanes from Rte 28 to Rte 29 — Currently VDOT is widening Linton Hall Road to a six-lane divided roadway from Route 29 to Glenkirk Road and widening to a four-lane divided roadway from Glenkirk Road to Devlin Road.  VDOT has anticipated completion of this project by November 2007.  As mentioned above, the County (through the Sudley Manor Drive bond project) will widen Linton Hall Road to a four-lane divided highway from Devlin Road to Sudley Manor Drive.  This project should be completed by November 2006.  Also, the County is now working on expediting the widening of the remainder of Linton Hall Road (from Sudley Manor Drive to Route 28).

Additional information on transportation projects in Northern Virginia and, specifically, Prince William County, can be found on my Transportation page on my web site at www.gainesvillesupervisor.com.   Also, at the bottom of my Transportation page there are a number of links to the County Transportation page and Virginia Department of Transportation pages for Northern Virginia projects.

Prince William County has long recognized the need for improvements on these roads in order to facilitate safe and effective travel.  These projects, as well as many others not directly related to these roads, are designed to alleviate traffic problems and transportation concerns in the Gainesville area.  However, projects of these sizes take a long time and a significant funding to bring to fruition.  Some proposed solutions are still being studied, other improvements are pending approval, and most projects still need additional funding.

I hope this clarifies the County’s future plans to address the situation.  I assure you that the County is actively studying and addressing its critical transportation issues and is working with both State and Federal authorities for needed transportation funding and improvements.  The most important difference we can make now is to get caught up on our road infrastructure.