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U.S. 50 widening in sight
Although construction isn't expected to begin until 2010, the Virginia Department of Transportation is moving ahead on the planning process to widen U.S. 50 near the Loudoun/Fairfax county line.The east-west highway is heavily used by commuters heading to and from the District and the inner suburbs, and is heavily congested during peak commuting hours.
The highway is six lanes in the South Riding area of Loudoun County, then shrinks to four lanes for a short stretch between Poland Road in Loudoun and Stonecroft Boulevard in Fairfax County. The $75 million widening project would remove that bottleneck.
It also will add paths for bicyclists and pedestrians on both sides of the road, improve pedestrian crossings at intersections and upgrade turn lanes at some intersections in the 3.7-mile stretch between Poland Road and Route 28.
A small bridge that crosses Cub Run and its floodplain will be replaced with a new one to accommodate the wider highway. An environmental report detailing the impacts of the project and how it will avoid harming environmentally sensitive areas will be completed soon, according to VDOT's Web site on the project.
VDOT will hold a public hearing on the plans Feb. 26, 6-9 p.m., at 14685 Avion Parkway in Chantilly.
For more information on the project and the public hearing, go to www.virginiadot.org/projects/northern%20virginia/default.asp and click on "Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway/John Mosby Highway."
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