Hunter Mill Road Detour Nov. 12-21
VDOT installing temporary bridge
http://www.vdot.virginia.gov/newsroom/northern_virginia/2011/hunter_mill_road_detour55091.asp
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Hunter Mill Road Bridge to Close Through Nov. 21
VDOT to install temporary bridge over Difficult Run
By Nicole Trifone
http://oakton.patch.com/articles/hunter-mill-road-bridge-to-close-through-nov-21

As part of its effort to install a temporary bridge over Difficult Run on Hunter Mill Road, the Virginia Department of Transportation will close the bridge this weekend.

The two-lane bridge, between Hunter Station Road and Lawyers Road, will be closed to traffic from 7 a.m. Saturday until Nov. 21.

A 3.2-mile detour route will be in effect. Motorists heading north on Hunter Mill Road will take Lawyers Road to Twin Branches Road to Sunrise Valley Drive to Hunter Mill Road, VDOT said in a statement. Motorists heading south on Hunter Mill Road will use Sunrise Valley Drive to Twin Branches Road to Lawyers Road to Hunter Mill Road.

Once in place, the temporary bridge, which is estimated to cost $300,000 and paid for through state maintenance funds, is safe to use for decades if properly maintained, but VDOT hopes to have the permanent bridge planned and constructed in one to three years.

Cost estimates for the permanent bridge stand at $3 million, though plans are still in the early stages.

In August, a VDOT engineer and Supervisor Kathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) met with Hunter Mill Road residents to talk about plans for the bridge.

Wasn't the road closed for repairs in August?

It's a complete cluster fuck. Cars backed up for miles during rush hour. The police need to be directing traffic so there are not accidents.

Yep, it is a complete cluster. I wonder if anybody at VDOT took the time to look at Google maps to make sure their detour instructions were correct. Seems in both directions they forgot that you need to get on South Lakes between Sunrise Valley and Twin Branches.

I take Lawyers from Reston to Vienna every night. There is no warning on Lawyers as to why it's backed up for miles. I made a U-turn, kicked over to Sunrise Valley and then saw the temporary detour signs and the flashing sign saying Hunter Mill is closed. Sure would be nice to warn users of Lawyers that traffic will more than double and come to a virtual standstill every rush hour.

Shoot, now there's just no good way to get from Reston to Vienna since the Toll Rd is typically hosed up too.

Ron not happy Wrote:
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>
> Shoot, now there's just no good way to get from
> Reston to Vienna since the Toll Rd is typically
> hosed up too.


There's always Brown's Mill to Beulah if worse comes to worst.

From Reston I take Fox Mill to Vale to Hunter Mill. I then go right, but you can continue into Vienna on Vale from that point. It is much faster than trying to use Lawyers, which can take 30 minutes or longer from Reston to Oakton.

WHEN WILL IT REALLY BE FINISHED?!?!?!?

Christ, how can a tiny bridge over a creek cost 3 _million_ dollars?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2011 12:16PM by Snapple.
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Snapple Wrote:
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> Christ, how can a tiny bridge over a creek cost 3
> _million_ dollars?

My understanding is that the 3 million dollars will be for a permanent bridge that will surpass the old one. You might recall the older ones were all too low and the water easily flooded over it. Supposedly this new one will not suffer from that problem.

Just repairing or replacing the bridge is not going to do it. I've been driving that road for about 20 years. That area of land is so low that it generally floods all over. The entire road surface needs to be raised, not just the bridge. It needs to extend about 1000 feet from one side of the low spot to the other. What good is a raised bridge if both sides of the road leading to it are under water?