RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Joan Morris 703-383-2465 joan.morris@virginiadot.org Ryan Hall 703-383-2055

NOVA-0442 Oct. 7, 2004

VDOT Opens Route 28 and Route 606 Interchange This Weekend

The Virginia Department of Transportation, members of the Route 28 Corridor Improvements team and local officials cut the ribbon today on the Route 28 and Route 606 interchange in Loudoun County. It is the second interchange to open since VDOT signed an agreement in 2002 with The Clark Construction Group Inc. and Shirley Contracting Company LLC to design and build six interchanges on bottlenecked Route 28 in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

The former intersection at Route 28 and Old Ox Road is now a full cloverleaf interchange with a four-lane bridge carrying Old Ox Road over Route 28. Five of the eight interchange loops will open to traffic this weekend: northbound 28 to eastbound 606; southbound 28 to east and westbound 606; and, eastbound 606 to north and southbound 28. Three ramps will open early in 2005: westbound 606 to north and southbound 28, and northbound 28 to westbound 606.

With more than 90,000 vehicles a day on Route 28 and 20,000 vehicles a day traveling Route 606, traffic is reduced to a crawl at the signalized intersection during the morning and evening rush hours.
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Once the interchange opens this weekend, the average vehicle delay from the signal will be reduced from two minutes to about 30 seconds. The signal will be removed in early 2005 with the completion of the remaining loops and ramps.

Six interchanges are being built as part of a $200 million design-build contract under Virginia's Public-Private Transportation Act, which allows private entities to propose innovative solutions for designing, building, financing and operating transportation improvements. The newest interchange cost $24.9 million to design and build.

The original 14-mile widening of Route 28, from Route 7 in Loudoun County to I-66 in Fairfax County, began in 1987 and was completed in 1991. Route 28 was transformed form a two-lane road to a six-lane divided highway with interchanges at Routes 50, 7 and the Dulles Toll Road.

Funding for the Route 28 corridor is provided in a combination of public and private funds, with 75 percent of the corridor improvements supported by the Route 28 special tax district. State funds make up the remainder of the total cost of the project.

Construction Schedule for Six Interchanges on Route 28

Interchange	Start	Completed
Air & Space Museum Parkway	Feb. 2003	December 2003
Waxpool Road	Feb. 2003	Fall 2005
Old Ox Road	May 2003	Early 2005
Westfields Boulevard	April 2004	Fall 2005
McLearen Road	Summer 2005	Fall 2006
Sterling Boulevard	Summer 2005	Fall 2006