Motorists on Route 50 in Loudoun County are now being detoured around the intersection at Route 15 (Gilbert’s Corner), as the Virginia Department of Transportation continues the work on four roundabouts along the two corridors.
Since April, travelers on Route 50 and Route 15 have been detoured off of Route 15 onto the Howsers Branch Drive connector road and through the roundabout on Route 50 east of Gilbert’s Corner.
On June 30, crews were busy placing the pavers around the perimeter of Roundabout 4 on Route 15 south of Gilbert’s Corner. Pavement marking and signage directing motorists through the new traffic pattern are already in place in anticipation of the new phase of construction. Recent good weather has contributed to the project staying on schedule up to this point.
The shift, which took place on July 1, reopened the rebuilt section between Gilbert’s Corner and the recently completed roundabout on Route 15 south of the corner, and closes the section of Route 50 from the corner east to the roundabout opened in April. Motorists passing through the Route15/50 corridor will be detoured to Howsers Branch Drive.
Extensive work will be done on the section between Roundabout 1 at the old Gilbert’s Corner intersection and Roundabout 2 on Route 15 east of the corner. Work includes improving site distance by lowering the hilltop east of the intersection and adding fill dirt to raise low areas. Extensive utility and infrastructure work is also underway.
According to VDOT, the direct link that the new Howsers Branch Drive creates between Routes 50 and 15 (Roundabouts 4 and 2) will allow some northbound Route 15 and westbound Route 50 traffic to bypass Gilbert's Corner, reducing vehicles through that intersection by about one-third. However, the new detour will last 10-12 weeks, and is expected to add five minutes to non-rush-hour trips and up to 15 minutes during rush hour.
The final detour planned for the project is at Watson Road, which will be closed later this summer in order to complete construction on the last of the four roundabouts.
The $15.8 million project is scheduled to be complete in late 2009. It is the second of three Route 50 traffic-calming projects along a 20-mile corridor from Paris in Fauquier County to Lenah in Loudoun County.
Improvements in Upperville were finished in October 2008, and a project in Aldie is expected to begin construction in 2010.
For more information on Virginia’s roundabouts, visit www.virginiadot.org and www.Route50.org.
Add comment