RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Ryan Hall 703-383-2055 Joan Morris (703) 383-2465

NOVA-NR06 28 July 28, 2006

VDOT Delivers Several Road Improvements

A new connector road, several newly widened roads, an emergency repair and a new bike trail are among the transportation improvements the Virginia Department of Transportation will deliver to motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists in the coming weeks.

University Boulevard, a new four-lane roadway connecting Wellington Road to Route 29 in Prince William County, opens to traffic August 28. Work began in Dec. 2004 on the 1.3-mile link. The new road gives motorists headed for Wellington Road or the Nissan Pavilion an alternate route to and from I-66 so they can avoid the traffic-choked Route 29/Gainesville area. General Excavation, Inc. of Manassas is the contractor for the $11.2 million construction project.

Also in Prince William County, VDOT crews recently completed a nine-month emergency repair project on Neabsco Road at Leesylvania State Park where a slope had collapsed. Construction crews stabilized the slope by installing 65 steel and concrete pillars in the marine clay and constructing a retaining wall on the creek side. All lanes reopened to traffic in mid-June. Lane Construction of Dumfries was the contractor for the $1.9 million project.

On August 1, VDOT completes the widening of Lorton Road near I-95 in southern Fairfax County. Construction began in June 2004 to widen the road from one lane in each direction to three lanes in each direction between Silverbrook Road and Route 1. The 1.3-mile widening features raised medians, turn lanes, and new traffic signals at the I-95 southbound ramp and at Market Street. VDOT also replaced the bridge over Pohick Creek, built a trail on the south side of Lorton Road and a sidewalk on the north side. A&W Contracting Corporation of Lorton is the contractor for the $15.9 million project.

In mid-August, VDOT will open a newly widened 1.8-mile section of West Ox Road between Ox Trail Road and Lawyers Road. Work began in April 2004 to widen the road from two lanes to four lanes, construct a median and sidewalks and install new traffic signals. Martin & Gass, Inc. of Alexandria is the contractor for the $11 million project.

In Loudoun County, VDOT will open a new section of the W&OD bicycle trail under Church Road on August 1. Crews removed the at-grade crossing and built a trail under Church Road so that cyclists and trail enthusiasts will no longer have to cross paths with vehicles. In the fall, VDOT and the Route 28 Corridor Improvements team will finish widening Church Road to four lanes and building a new bridge over the W&OD trail. The $5.5 million widening project is the final component of the new interchange at Route 28 and Route 625. The cost of the bridge is over the W&OD trail is $1 million.


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