Residents got their first taste of the new traffic pattern early Wednesday morning as the Virginia Department of Transportation opened the new Linton Hall Road/Route 29 interchange.
Linton Hall/Route 55 traffic was shifted onto the new overpass and traffic on southbound Route 29 between I-66 and Linton Hall Road was shifted onto the new bridge over the railroad tracks and the ramp from eastbound I-66 to southbound Route 29 was re-opened.
Some were so excited they planned special trips yesterday to try the new roadway.
"I'm so excited to try it!! I'll go drive around this morning AFTER the morning rush of work and school has passed," Carter McClelland of Bristow said.
While there were some confusion, most drivers were able to navigate the new traffic pattern.
"The new signage took a little getting used to. Seemed to me that going north on Linton Hall and trying to get to either 55 or 29 north, was pretty difficult in terms of the lights," Stan Rodda of Haymarket said. "I'm sure traffic flow will get more smooth as they work out the kinks."
"It's nice but the signs aren't clear; the person in front of me this morning thought 29S was closed and turned around and I followed and got pulled over," Crystal Denton of Gainesville said. "The cop was nice and explained a lot of people thought it was closed."
However, the major point of contention was the inability of motorists to turn onto Route 29 South from Linton Hall Road.
"I had to go down old Linton Hall Road and got there to find that it was blocked off with cops in the lane," Monica Kreher of Bristow said. "[I] had to backtrack and come back to the Burger King."
While there is some trepidation about the new pattern, most are hopeful it will ultimately alleviate the stress of driving in the area.
"I'm afraid to go anywhere near it until the kinks are worked out!" Bristow Beat columnist Riley O'casey said. "If it's successful, it will be a huge improvement to our area."
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