The Virginia Department of Transportation is unplugging two major bottlenecks in Prince William County this weekend with the opening of a two-lane ramp at the Interstate 66/Route 29 interchange in Gainesville, and two new lanes on Route 28 in Bristow.

Beginning at about 5 p.m. today, Gainesville motorists will see a major improvement on Route 29 with the opening of a two-lane, mile-long ramp from Route 29 North to I-66 East. The ramp merges into a recently widened section of I-66.

“The commute is going to immensely improve for the thousands of commuters who now crawl through Gainesville during the morning rush hours,” said Assistant District Engineer Helen Cuervo. “This is a major milestone for the project.”

The ramp is part of the $155 million I-66 widening project, which includes widening the interstate to eight lanes and adding new ramps at the I-66/Route 29 interchange.

The entire project will be completed in 2010.

The bridge over Route 28 at Broad Run has been replaced with a new four-lane bridge that is wide enough to be striped for six lanes in the future.

The mile-long widening from two lanes to four lanes south of Residency Road is being completed six months ahead of schedule and under budget.

Construction on the $16 million project started in spring 2006.

Route 28 carries about 45,000 vehicles a day and is a major commuter route for Fauquier and Prince William county motorists.

END

Page last modified: Nov. 2, 2007