By John Toler
In spite of a wet spring, highway improvement projects in eastern Loudoun at Gilbert’s corner and on Sycolin Road are moving ahead, both with year-end completion dates. But as work progresses, drivers will have to plan on some significant detours and road closures before the projects are finished.
Gilbert’s Corner
The U.S. 50 Traffic Calming Project at Gilbert’s Corner, which uses a series of four roundabouts and a new access road, is about three weeks behind schedule due to the number of rainy days in May and June. “I thought we were having the wettest spring on record, but I was told that 2003 was worse,” remarked Project Manager Kenny Robinson.
Ground was broken in May 2008 for the $15.8 million VDOT project, which eliminates the traffic light at U.S. 15/50, and uses the roundabouts to handle the traffic on the two main highways and at the U.S. 50/Watson Road intersection.
The first roundabout (Roundabout 2) on U.S. 50 east of Gilbert’s Corner and the new Howser’s Branch Road that feeds into it from U.S. 15 south of Gilbert’s Corner have been open since early April.
At the same time, the section of U.S. 15 from Howser’s Branch to U.S. 50 was closed for rebuilding, and for work on Roundabout 1 (at old Gilbert’s Corner) and Roundabout 4 (at U.S. 15 and Howser’s Branch).
Since that time, all of the traffic that once passed through Gilbert’s Corner on both U.S. 15 (north-south) and 50 (east-west) has been going through Roundabout 2, resulting in the predictable back-ups during peak travel times.
Depending on the weather, Roundabout 4 on U.S. 15 at Howser’s Branch and the re-opening of the rebuilt section of U.S. 15 to Gilbert’s Corner will be finished before the July 4 weekend, according to Robinson. At that point, the section of U.S. 50 between Roundabout 1 and Roundabout 2 will be closed, resulting in a “reverse detour,” of the current situation, with traffic on U.S. 50 traffic routed through Roundabout 2 and over Howser’s Branch.
“The hill on U.S. 50 just east of Gilbert’s Corner must be cut down, and the road over a box culvert there raised to remove the hump and the blind spot,” said Robinson. “It will take two weeks, if we get good weather.”
Work on Roundabout 4 at Watson Road has been progressing, and after the July 4 holiday, heavy grading and earthmoving at the site will begin. Watson Road, which runs through the countryside parallel to U.S. 15 from U.S. 50 to Evergreen Road and is a favorite of commuters, will be closed for about two weeks.
Once completed, Watson Road will be shifted slightly to the west, and the elevation of U.S. 50 at the site reduced for improved visibility.
“As before, message boards will be posted to advise motorists of the changes,” said Robinson, adding, “Right now, it looks like the entire project will be finished by Christmas.”
Sycolin Road
Sycolin Road is a narrow, part-gravel back road that runs from Belmont Ridge Road near the Greenway, passing the Leesburg Executive Airport before running into the Leesburg Bypass. It is one of only three roads linking Ashburn with Leesburg, the others being the Greenway and Route 7. It currently carries 3,200 vehicles a day, with 10,000 projected by 2012.
Earlier this year, William A. Hazel Inc. of Chantilly was selected as the contractor to make the improvements on the 1.3-mile unpaved section of Sycolin Road between Goose Creek and Shreve’s Mill Road. Work on the $2.5 million project began in March, and involves improving the drainage, straightening curves, paving the gravel portion of the road, and adding four foot paved shoulders.
The road is currently open for traffic, but when the heavy grading and paving work begins, Sycolin Road will be closed from June 22 until Sept. 4, according to Jim Zeller of VDOT’s Leesburg Residency Office.
Once again, weather might be a factor, but it is expected that the project will be completed in November.
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