Updated: June 24, 11:00 a.m.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, the resequencing of construction of the Route 29/Linton Hall Interchange project over the summer will not delay its completion date.
"VDOT wants motorists to know that the construction project is not delayed," Communications Manager Joan Morris said. "It is on schedule to be completed in June 2015; we’ve made some changes to the sequence of construction to ease traffic impacts this summer, but that won’t affect the completion date."
Original Story:
The Virginia Department of Transportation's Prince William County liaison Maria Sinner announced Tuesday at the Board of County Supervisors meeting that construction of the Route 29/Linton Hall Interchange would be delayed this summer to accommodate the area's summer concert season.
“The sequence of work has changed a little bit. We were anticipating to move Linton Hall over 29 this summer, but we understand that that has changed a little bit," Sinner said. "I think we are trying to avoid some of the summer concert conflicts.”
While Sinner did not specifically identify Jiffy Lube Live, the delay will prevent huge traffic issues on days that the concert venue holds major concert events such as Jimmy Buffett.
Sinner also presented the supervisors with updates on other county roads improvement projects.
She said that due to the difficult winter, it looks as though $4 to $5 million would be awarded to repair “wear and tear” on secondary roads within the county. She said that VDOT is currently filling in potholes on primary roads.
Installation of the active traffic management system on I-66 is “on-going,” and is currently on schedule to be completed by spring 2015.
As for the I-66 widening through Haymarket, Sinner said the “contractor is moving really fast on that,” and she expects it will be completed by the summer of 2016.
However, in Haymarket, there are changes planned for the I-66/Route 15 interchange project. Sinner said that VDOT received several proposals, and the department is seriously considering a new configuration called a “divergent diamond interchange.” If VDOT adopts this new configuration, it would be only be the second one built in Virginia.
Gainesville Supervisor Pete Candland (R) said he has some concerns over the traffic congestion that backs up around that intersection.
“What worries me is this looks like it stops traffic. We go from giving people a free movement, to stopping them,” he said.
Sinner said that VDOT staff have expressed the same concern and have been assured the level of service will not be diminished by adopting the diamond configuration in lieu a more traditional overpass.
VDOT will also be collecting data on Route 28, which Sinner said “is a very congested corridor from the City of Manassas to I-66.”
This was Sinner's last quarterly presentation before the board as she has been promoted. Richard "Dic" Burke has been named as her replacement.
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