In Design
Gainesville Improvements |
| I-66/Route 29/Linton Hall Road Interchanges |
Project Photos
Project at a Glance
Background
Over the last five years, VDOT has made a series of major improvements in the Gainesville area. The first was the construction of University Boulevard, a 1.3-mile, four-lane road connecting Route 29 and Wellington Road. The second was widening I-66 to eight lanes between Route 234 Business/Sudley Road and the Route 234 Bypass (about 1.5 miles). Both projects were finished in 2006. The third, now under way, is widening 3.3 miles of I-66 to eight lanes between the Route 234 Bypass and Route 29 at Gainesville, and will be complete in 2010.
The fourth and final improvement is the I-66/Route 29/Linton Hall Road overhaul, at a cost of about $250 million.
The commonwealth’s total investment in all four projects is about $425 million.
What's Being Done
The project to improve the Route 29/Linton Hall Road interchange is one of the largest 
construction projects in Virginia.
The centerpiece of the project is a pair of overpasses: one carrying Route 29 over the Norfolk Southern Railroad, and one carrying Linton Hall and Gallerher roads over the railroad and Route 29. To further improve traffic flow, crews will also widen Route 29 to six lanes and eliminate driveway entrances and two traffic signals between I-66 and Virginia Oaks Drive.
The new, grade-separated interchange at Route 29/Linton Hall Road will create a limited-access facility on Route 29 between Virginia Oaks Drive and Heathcote Boulevard.
View a video rendering (right) of the new interchange. (For optimum viewing, right-click on the link and choose "Save as" to your local machine.)
What's Next
Major work has been under way to finish property acquisition, relocate half a dozen utilities and demolish 38 buildings. Property acquisition and demolition north of Linton Hall and Gallerher roads is complete; the same work south of Linton Hall and Gallerher roads will be complete in summer 2010. Once utility relocation is finished in late 2009, roadway construction can begin in early 2010 and will take four years to complete.
Traffic Impacts
Detour RoadBefore construction of the new interchange begins, crews will construct two temporary detour roads. These roads will carry both Route 29 and Linton Hall Road traffic around the interchange for the duration of the project.
Construction of the temporary roads and access roads are expected to take about 12 months, and motorists will be informed of the new traffic pattern well before the road is open to traffic.
Traffic Data
Based on traffic counts, Route 29 carried roughly 46,000 vehicles per day in 2005, and that is anticipated to increase to 63,000 by 2035.
Linton Hall Road carried 9,000 vehicles per day in 1998, and by 2005 that number increased to 15,500. By 2035 it is expected to grow to 42,000.
Resources
Fact sheet and mapVideo rendering of interchange improvements (50,189 KB)
(For optimum viewing, right-click on the link and choose "Save as" to your local machine.)
The Gainesville Improvements Field Office is located at 14100 Whitney Road, Gainesville, VA 20155 (in the old SunTrust Bank building). Project staff are available during business hours to answer any project questions and provide information.
