| RELEASE: CONTACT: |
IMMEDIATE Joan Morris (703) 383-2465 joan.morris@VDOT.Virginia.gov |
NOVA-regional Oct. 12, 2007 |
REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN WILL AID COMMUTERS, EMPLOYERS DURING CONSTRUCTION OF MEGAPROJECTS
CHANTILLY - The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is developing a regional transportation management plan to keep traffic moving on Route 7 in Tysons Corner, the Capital Beltway and on I-95/395 during the construction of multiple megaprojects in Northern Virginia over the next decade.
By next summer, construction will be under way to build High Occupancy Vehicle/High Occupancy Toll (HOV/HOT) lanes on 14 miles of the Beltway, extend rail to Dulles, widen I-95 for six miles south of Newington, and reconstruct the I-95/Telegraph Road interchange.
The Transportation Management Plan, or TMP, will be in place next summer and is being modeled after the highly successful Springfield Interchange and Wilson Bridge programs.
“We will produce a TMP that keeps the region, businesses, commuters, shoppers and employers informed and moving with minimal disruption,” said Ronaldo Nicholson, VDOT regional transportation director for the megaprojects. “We will offer alternative commute options for avoiding delays, and we will keep the public informed every step of the way.”
Traffic management strategies will include an aggressive public outreach program allowing motorists to make informed travel decisions; helping employers set up rideshare and telework programs for their employees; dedicated safety service patrols and traffic signal timing plans to ease delays; additional traffic cameras to spot accidents and dispatch assistance, as well as close coordination with state police, fire and rescue during emergencies. “Ensuring that lane closures are coordinated among projects to avoid gridlock during multiple construction operations is essential,” said Nicholson.
“This is not solely a VDOT effort -- we are collaborating with the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, Fairfax County Department of Transportation, rideshare agencies, police, and other regional transportation agencies to ensure that the final plan anticipates and addresses every conceivable traffic management issue,” Nicholson said.
In addition, VDOT plans to retain its highly successful storefront project information center in Springfield and open similar storefronts in Tysons Corner and in the Fredericksburg area to field inquiries from the public and increase awareness about the projects.
“We will deliver timely and accurate construction information allowing motorists to plan their travel through the work zone while reducing their stress as much as possible,” said Steve Titunik, communications director for the megaprojects. Over its eight-year existence in Springfield, the information center handled 350,000 walk-in customers, 40,000 e-mails and 7,000 phone calls.
Later this fall, VDOT will select a contractor to provide engineering consulting services for the megaprojects. A request for proposal was issued in September and proposals are due Oct. 19. The consultant team will administer the TMP and provide additional traffic studies and regional coordination under VDOT oversight.
The former Springfield interchange field office will soon house engineering staff as well as construction operations staff who will monitor traffic cameras to dispatch safety service patrols and notify state and county police during emergencies on the Beltway and I-395/95. Safety service patrols, message boards, traffic cones and other traffic management equipment will also be pre-positioned in Tysons Corner to assist with traffic control.
“Make no mistake, there will be some pain for commuters, but we can at least keep it in manageable doses,” said Nicholson.
Fast Facts about the Megaprojects:
I-95 Widening: – VDOT will add a fourth lane in each direction for six miles from Newington to the Occoquan River. Construction begins early 2008 and will be completed in 2010.
I-95/Telegraph Road Interchange: – Construction of the new interchange will begin in 2008 and be completed in 2012 as part of the Wilson Bridge project.
Beltway HOT Lanes :– Under a PPTA that is expected to go to financial close by the end of the year, Fluor-Transurban will building two HOV/HOT lanes in each direction from Springfield to just north of the Dulles Toll Road. Project includes adding carpool ramps from the I-95 HOV lanes to the Beltway HOV lanes. Construction expected to begin spring 2008 and take five years to complete.
Route 7, Tysons Corner :– Utility relocation could begin this month in preparation for the proposed Dulles Rail project. The relocation will require closing portions of the two-lane service road between Route 123 and the Dulles Toll Road. The relocation is being done under a permit issued by VDOT.
Fairfax County Parkway – The Federal Highway Administration or another federal entity will finalize design and construct the two-mile, four-lane segment between Fullerton Road and Rolling Road. Start date to be determined.
By next summer, construction will be under way to build High Occupancy Vehicle/High Occupancy Toll (HOV/HOT) lanes on 14 miles of the Beltway, extend rail to Dulles, widen I-95 for six miles south of Newington, and reconstruct the I-95/Telegraph Road interchange.
The Transportation Management Plan, or TMP, will be in place next summer and is being modeled after the highly successful Springfield Interchange and Wilson Bridge programs.
“We will produce a TMP that keeps the region, businesses, commuters, shoppers and employers informed and moving with minimal disruption,” said Ronaldo Nicholson, VDOT regional transportation director for the megaprojects. “We will offer alternative commute options for avoiding delays, and we will keep the public informed every step of the way.”
Traffic management strategies will include an aggressive public outreach program allowing motorists to make informed travel decisions; helping employers set up rideshare and telework programs for their employees; dedicated safety service patrols and traffic signal timing plans to ease delays; additional traffic cameras to spot accidents and dispatch assistance, as well as close coordination with state police, fire and rescue during emergencies. “Ensuring that lane closures are coordinated among projects to avoid gridlock during multiple construction operations is essential,” said Nicholson.
“This is not solely a VDOT effort -- we are collaborating with the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, Fairfax County Department of Transportation, rideshare agencies, police, and other regional transportation agencies to ensure that the final plan anticipates and addresses every conceivable traffic management issue,” Nicholson said.
In addition, VDOT plans to retain its highly successful storefront project information center in Springfield and open similar storefronts in Tysons Corner and in the Fredericksburg area to field inquiries from the public and increase awareness about the projects.
“We will deliver timely and accurate construction information allowing motorists to plan their travel through the work zone while reducing their stress as much as possible,” said Steve Titunik, communications director for the megaprojects. Over its eight-year existence in Springfield, the information center handled 350,000 walk-in customers, 40,000 e-mails and 7,000 phone calls.
Later this fall, VDOT will select a contractor to provide engineering consulting services for the megaprojects. A request for proposal was issued in September and proposals are due Oct. 19. The consultant team will administer the TMP and provide additional traffic studies and regional coordination under VDOT oversight.
The former Springfield interchange field office will soon house engineering staff as well as construction operations staff who will monitor traffic cameras to dispatch safety service patrols and notify state and county police during emergencies on the Beltway and I-395/95. Safety service patrols, message boards, traffic cones and other traffic management equipment will also be pre-positioned in Tysons Corner to assist with traffic control.
“Make no mistake, there will be some pain for commuters, but we can at least keep it in manageable doses,” said Nicholson.
Fast Facts about the Megaprojects:
I-95 Widening: – VDOT will add a fourth lane in each direction for six miles from Newington to the Occoquan River. Construction begins early 2008 and will be completed in 2010.
I-95/Telegraph Road Interchange: – Construction of the new interchange will begin in 2008 and be completed in 2012 as part of the Wilson Bridge project.
Beltway HOT Lanes :– Under a PPTA that is expected to go to financial close by the end of the year, Fluor-Transurban will building two HOV/HOT lanes in each direction from Springfield to just north of the Dulles Toll Road. Project includes adding carpool ramps from the I-95 HOV lanes to the Beltway HOV lanes. Construction expected to begin spring 2008 and take five years to complete.
Route 7, Tysons Corner :– Utility relocation could begin this month in preparation for the proposed Dulles Rail project. The relocation will require closing portions of the two-lane service road between Route 123 and the Dulles Toll Road. The relocation is being done under a permit issued by VDOT.
Fairfax County Parkway – The Federal Highway Administration or another federal entity will finalize design and construct the two-mile, four-lane segment between Fullerton Road and Rolling Road. Start date to be determined.
Page last modified: Oct. 12, 2007
