Route 50 Traffic Calming Measures
Route 50 Traffic Calming Measures |
Project Photos
Project at a Glance
About the Project
This project spans a 20-mile stretch of Route 50 from Paris in Fauquier County to Lenah in Loudoun County. The measures will help slow traffic, improve safety for pedestrians and motorists, and preserve the historic and rural nature of the corridor. Route 50 traffic-calming projects are underway in Upperville, Gilbert's Corner and Aldie.- Upperville began in early March 2007 and will be complete in September 2008.
- Gilbert's Corner includes four roundabouts and will be done under a design-build contract. The project broke ground in May 2008 and will be complete by December 2009.
- Aldie is in design and is similar in scope to the Upperville project. Construction is slated to begin in summer/fall 2009.
What is Traffic Calming?
Traffic Calming is the alteration of a road’s design to slow traffic and improve safety for pedestrians and motorists. For Route 50, preserving the road's historic nature is another important goal.Studies show that long stretches of road such as Route 50 encourage faster driving. Traffic-calming techniques VDOT is using on Route 50 include:
Entrance features: Enhancements at a town's approach via architecture, signage, landscaping, etc. Overhead features are typically more noticeable to drivers.
Imprint areas: Sections of textured pavement that provide audible indicators to encourage motorists to decelerate.
Raised crosswalks: Pedestrian crossings made of brick or a textured material.
Landscaped medians: Medians with curb and trees, bushes, etc.
Roundabouts/traffic circles: A type of intersection that provides counter-clockwise traffic flow and reduces left-turn accidents. The traffic calming project at Gilbert's Corner will feature four roundabouts. Read more on this technique at VDOT's roundabout page.
Landscaping: Trees, bushes, flowers, etc.
Click here for more information on VDOT's traffic-calming program.
Route 50 Task Force
Upcoming meetings of the Route 50 Task Force (all meetings are open to the public):August 19, 2008, 4:30 p.m. at Middleburg Town Hall
Past meeting minutes:
July 8, 2008
More information on the projects is available at www.route50.org.
View Kenny's Column on the Route 50 Traffic Calming project.
