Might as well get a thread started on this as they cleared a huge swath yesterday across from Rocky Run down to the Community Center.

This one is going to get messy especially when school starts up again.

http://virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/stringfellow_road.asp

Any and all comments welcome.

well.........................it's ABOUT time.

but yeah, September is gonna be hard as a rock for y'all, that's for sure.

Only with VDOT does something on the six-year plan (it's been on it since the late 80s/early 90s) take almost 20 years to build.

I've yet to see the final plans, but they better put a right-in/right-out at Greenbriar Park. That entrance is one big clusterfuck during spring/fall sports. And during rush hour?!? Forget about it. :-|

The Fall of 2011 is going to be OBC with sports, rush hour, school................

Now if all these spoiled little students were made to walk or take the bus to school that would help alleviate the situation but they might get some exercise and we wouldn't want that would we.

Lloydster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Now if all these spoiled little students were made
> to walk or take the bus to school that would help
> alleviate the situation but they might get some
> exercise and we wouldn't want that would we.

Are you kidding me?!? Walk to school?!? They're right next to a busy highway and might get hit. Not only that, they'd have to *cross* !gasp! that busy highway under the protection of a crossing guard or at a controlled signal.

The safety of our children are at stake!

F that. :-|

This is long overdue, but it'll be interesting to see how they handle the traffic jam there.

6 foot sidewalk on one side, 10 foot multi use path on the other, plus a bike lane in each direction....

Its a road. For automobiles. Not other forms of transportation.

@Keep on Truckin - FYI...I can get to the library and back on my bike during rush hour faster than I can in the car.

I'm three miles from the library straight down Stringfellow.

And by "for automobiles, not other forms of transportation" do you mean that trucks and buses won't be allowed?

(I won't rehash the "bikes being recognized as vehicles" state law, that's been hashed out enough in the other thread. I will add, however, that studies have shown that riding on the road is much safer for the cyclist than riding on the sidewalk or off-road path with regard to crossing intersections, driveways, etc.)

Like it or not, if the infrastructure isn't added now, we will be lamenting that it wasn't added 10, 20, 30 years hence. Just like those shortsighted folk who thought that saving money was more important when building Metro and a third track wasn't necessary. Look at the pain that savings has bought (like not being able to run express trains, for example).

The bike-as-transportation revolution that's taking place now will only grow as traffic gets worse and gas prices continue to rise. Sure, not everyone will be able to ride to work, but for each person that does, one more car is taken off the road.

20 bloody years to do this but no problem constructing the hidden homeless shelter/halfway house off of 29 in no time...or the effort to get a shelter for day laborers in Centreville. Bastards don't even vote, much less pay taxes, but they get the attention! If you're a homeowner and mod your house, good luck with the inspector. Vandalism? Cops won't show, they tell you to fill out an on line form. Where are they? Not at Centreville Library keeping US citizens from being harassed...check the Ffx Co Pkwy at any of the numerous speed traps.

At least 65% of the congestion all this time could have been alleviated with just a left turn lane or paved shoulder on southbound Stringfellow at the Greenbriar Park entrances. People trying to make a left during rush hour is what stacks up much of the traffic in the evening back to Chantilly High. Northbound in the morning? Probably nothing would help. But would it have been so f'n hard or expensive to do a turn lane in the late '80's when this road started getting screwed up? Bunch of GD idiots running this county and VDOT! Hey Mike Frey you jerkoff 50-year-old virgin (well, maybe not after that trip to Cambodia...), thanks for nothing!

mikey1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 20 bloody years to do this but no problem
> constructing the hidden homeless shelter/halfway
> house off of 29 in no time...or the effort to get
> a shelter for day laborers in Centreville.
> Bastards don't even vote, much less pay taxes, but
> they get the attention! If you're a homeowner and
> mod your house, good luck with the inspector.
> Vandalism? Cops won't show, they tell you to fill
> out an on line form. Where are they? Not at
> Centreville Library keeping US citizens from being
> harassed...check the Ffx Co Pkwy at any of the
> numerous speed traps.
>
> At least 65% of the congestion all this time could
> have been alleviated with just a left turn lane or
> paved shoulder on southbound Stringfellow at the
> Greenbriar Park entrances. People trying to make
> a left during rush hour is what stacks up much of
> the traffic in the evening back to Chantilly High.
> Northbound in the morning? Probably nothing
> would help. But would it have been so f'n hard or
> expensive to do a turn lane in the late '80's when
> this road started getting screwed up? Bunch of GD
> idiots running this county and VDOT! Hey Mike
> Frey you jerkoff 50-year-old virgin (well, maybe
> not after that trip to Cambodia...), thanks for
> nothing!

Man, everything you said was 100% on the mark. Is the widening project of Stringfellow road even being worked on? Or, are those construction trailers just parked there - as they have been for the past 6 months for the hell of it?

Oh, and, Centreville - and Michael Frey, so true. It's funny you mentioned that he was a 50 year old virgin - my wife used to ask me if I thought he was gay. And, why the hell hasn't he had any balls to deal with the illegal alien issues in Centreville? That place has, unfortunately, turned into a shit hole in the past 10 years. Prior to that time, I thought the place had a lot of hope and was quite progressive. How can Frey keep on running uncontested - or, against a candidate who has no traction at all? Or, should I ask if the Centreville and Sully district problems too great for anyone to even want to step in there to make an impact? Clearly, Frey, loves to attend groundbreaking events and photo opportunities, but, God forbid, he'll do anything about the way things are headed.

I think the County Board of Supervisors should be all over his ass for letting things slide in that area. The schools are populated with so many kids on free and reduced meal plans and the students entering the schools keep getting dumber and dumber each year. They're not children from tax-paying families, either. So, we have to come up with $7,000 per student each year to educate them in OUR school system.

What the hell is going on?

Dont see your ass being a supervisor. Case closed.

Shutup Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dont see your ass being a supervisor. Case
> closed.


Hey Pedro,

Pay some respect around here. I'm protecting you and your family. Centreville warmly welcomes you.


Signed,

Michael Frey

P.S. - Your first case of Corona from Shoppers Food Warehouse is on me as your welcoming present.

Your personal attacks mean absolutely nothing. It stops meaningful dialog. My hope is open the road without wasting money on a ribbon cutting ceremony Mr. Frey. People just want the road open and move on.

way to dig up a three year old thread.

Fuck Stringfellow. Have you driven on Rt 50 west of the Chentilly Target and Costco? It's like a goddam thrid world country.

50 should be a freeway with frontage roads from 66 to US15.

Are they done with the stringfellow project yet? PAssed by 6 months ago and they were still digging around the park.....

it took fx. co. FIFTEEN (15) YEARS to do west ox widening didn't it ? or do they still have cones up ?

they used only illegal labor. and spent a shitload for rich gov workers for their property value with "upgrade" road features and (water) installments

or did fx. co. TAKE us ?

ahhh. that's likelye the real story. it doesn't take 15 years to 10 miles of road does it ?

Y7JK9 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> it took fx. co. FIFTEEN (15) YEARS to do west ox
> widening didn't it ? or do they still have cones
> up ?
>
> they used only illegal labor. and spent a
> shitload for rich gov workers for their property
> value with "upgrade" road features and (water)
> installments
>
> or did fx. co. TAKE us ?
>
> ahhh. that's likelye the real story. it doesn't
> take 15 years to 10 miles of road does it ?

You know what you do? You shut the fucking road down for 1 year and widen it. Do all the work you want at all hours of the day. Fuck this shit where you close one lane for a little bit, then close the other and leap frog your way down the road. Just get the shit done. People will be pissed that the road is closed, but having to deal with Stringfellow the way it has been for years, and deal with it for years to come is a greater burden than just shutting it down and doing what needs done as fast as possible.

Yeah, no, the West Ox project wasn't 15 years. It was that long from when it was announced to when it was completed, but I'm quite sure it wasn't active that long.

As for closing the entire route: I'm not a civil engineer, but civvies, like, get paid for this stuff. It's been tried; there are studies and data. Saying "It would be better" without knowledge is meaningless, sorry.

But don't get me wrong: I'm as irritated as anyone else at how long this stuff takes!

unfairfax Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Are they done with the stringfellow project yet?
> PAssed by 6 months ago and they were still digging
> around the park.....


They're still digging around the park. Project is moving at a snail's pace.

mikey1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 20 bloody years to do this but no problem
> constructing the hidden homeless shelter/halfway
> house off of 29 in no time...or the effort to get
> a shelter for day laborers in Centreville.

the homeless shelter was the pet project of kate hanley, long time chairman of the county board of supervisors. im guessing that helps.

I was on Stringfellow Road today and its in shitty shape. When are they going to finish this work?

It's a never ending project. Someone is getting rich off the snails pace.

New Jersey is rebuilding the entire Pulaski skyway in 2 years bu shutting the whole thing down. Maybe Virginia could consider doing this:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2014/04/pulaski_skyway_closure_no_access_to_nyc_for_2_years.html

Jersey is not the best of example of quick work. How long is it taking Jersey to widened the turnpike?

Any project using union labor will move slower than continental drift. It's not about completing the work, it's about extending fat paychecks for as long as possible!

Hey, rickies, Stringfellow is taking so much hurting time because those donks need to move lots of buried money metal pipe. That's also why it took so long to start the money project. They needed to get psyssed.

Chill out, donk, it's a show.

Borgata.

As much as i hate to say it, but cakes is right. That being said, if this were a commercial enterprise (e.g., toll road), this thing would be done by now. Why they can't have crews working on every stretch of the road at the same time is beyond me. You can't tell me that these are the only workers qualified to build a road.

On the plus side, when VDOT rebuilds Walney Road (between Walney/Westfield and Willard over Frog Lick Run), they are going to close it during construction. Projected timeframe from start to finish? 6 months.

Bishop Johnny Cakes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey, rickies, Stringfellow is taking so much
> hurting time because those donks need to move lots
> of buried money metal pipe. That's also why it
> took so long to start the money project. They
> needed to get psyssed.

"money metal pipe"? Whazzat? Just wonderin'...

Opinion Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jersey is not the best of example of quick work.
> How long is it taking Jersey to widened the
> turnpike?


Damn it, you are right. That turnpike widening project is taking forever.

Probably becuase the road is not being closed in order to do it.

Explain to me how all of the other projects were started and finished before Stringfellow road, Hot lanes, Fairlakes interchage, Silver Line. WTF no union labor on this job or is it all union labor?

Wow they are really working hard on the project now I saw 6 guys and one a cop. The cop was parked making good money with overtime I'm sure.

Yeah, it's a total cluster. And now from June 2-30 they need to close Fair Lakes Pkwy from Stringfellow to Fair Lakes Blvd for utility relocation.

0tter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah, it's a total cluster. And now from June 2-30
> they need to close Fair Lakes Pkwy from
> Stringfellow to Fair Lakes Blvd for utility
> relocation.

True, but that's not the Stringfellow project, that's colonial pipeline checking out its lines. They're required to by law every few years. WORST TIMING EVER

Thanks. Yes. Terrible timing.

They could have just shut the road down for a year and finished the project. How it has taken this long amazes me. What has it been three or four years of stupid gridlock.

newsflash: Stringfellow Road won't be done in time for the opening bell on Tuesday. Avoid this area like the plague!

Make the helicopter parents produce legit reasons why they need to be on school property to pick up or drop off their spawn, otherwise make them use the damned buses!

Want to cut the traffic in half? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Make the helicopter parents produce legit reasons
> why they need to be on school property to pick up
> or drop off their spawn, otherwise make them use
> the damned buses!


Except for those of us who do not get buses and are too far to walk douche bag. Not everyone fits into your perfict world.

GBW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Want to cut the traffic in half? Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Make the helicopter parents produce legit
> reasons
> > why they need to be on school property to pick
> up
> > or drop off their spawn, otherwise make them
> use
> > the damned buses!
>
>
> Except for those of us who do not get buses and
> are too far to walk douche bag. Not everyone fits
> into your perfict world.


If it's "too far to walk", you get a bus. What's your definition of "too far to walk"? Fifty feet?

Lazy fuck.

Too far to walk to a school bus? Wtf? Lazy.

GBW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Want to cut the traffic in half? Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Make the helicopter parents produce legit
> reasons
> > why they need to be on school property to pick
> up
> > or drop off their spawn, otherwise make them
> use
> > the damned buses!
>
>
> Except for those of us who do not get buses and
> are too far to walk douche bag. Not everyone fits
> into your perfict world.

If it really is too far to walk, the system will have a bus. If there isn't a bus for you to ride, then it's not too far and you walk, you fat pubescent fuck. I doubt you fit in anything.

Now with the kids back to school they will stop working on it cause it isn't a priority not due to be completed until 2015. The saga continues.

So the new light is up and running now, but it seems to be timed horribly. 50 East backed up all the way to Lee Road right now. Never seen it this bad before this light was activated.

It's been hell on Stringfellow for a while now. I love when you pull up to the street and you have to decipher the scattered cones and barrels. You eventually realize you can't turn the way you want and then through their tinted windows you notice the cop sitting in his warm car pointing for you to turn. Thanks, pal.

They couldn't open the NB lanes soon enough. SB still one zig zaggy lane. Watch your tires at all intersections.

The Empire State Building was completed in just under 15 months.
The Pentagon was completed in 18 months.

Both mostly built with hand labor and some primitive machines.

So why does it take 4+ years to widen a few miles of road in the 21st Century?

cdnuthin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Empire State Building was completed in just
> under 15 months.
> The Pentagon was completed in 18 months.
>
> Both mostly built with hand labor and some
> primitive machines.
>
> So why does it take 4+ years to widen a few miles
> of road in the 21st Century?

Assuming that's a serious question: because both were new construction. Building a few miles of new road through virgin land wouldn't take nearly this long. They spend most of their time dealing with keeping existing traffic moving, alas.

Disclaimer: I am not a civil engineer. But I know several, some of them competent.

Greybeard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cdnuthin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The Empire State Building was completed in just
> > under 15 months.
> > The Pentagon was completed in 18 months.
> >
> > Both mostly built with hand labor and some
> > primitive machines.
> >
> > So why does it take 4+ years to widen a few
> miles
> > of road in the 21st Century?
>
> Assuming that's a serious question: because both
> were new construction. Building a few miles of new
> road through virgin land wouldn't take nearly this
> long. They spend most of their time dealing with
> keeping existing traffic moving, alas.
>
> Disclaimer: I am not a civil engineer. But I know
> several, some of them competent.

Correct. If they were allowed to just shut the whole thing down and redirect traffic things would go much quicker.

Just saw someone driving north on the SB side. They were stuck between the concrete median and barrels. Too narrow to turn around.

cdnuthin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Empire State Building was completed in just
> under 15 months.
> The Pentagon was completed in 18 months.
>
> Both mostly built with hand labor and some
> primitive machines.
>
> So why does it take 4+ years to widen a few miles
> of road in the 21st Century?


The empire state building didn't have to stop working when school buses passed.

The pentagon didn't have 11 major utilities in its space before construction could begin.

you cannot compare a building site to a travel corridor. duh

da Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cdnuthin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The Empire State Building was completed in just
> > under 15 months.
> > The Pentagon was completed in 18 months.
> >
> > Both mostly built with hand labor and some
> > primitive machines.
> >
> > So why does it take 4+ years to widen a few
> miles
> > of road in the 21st Century?
>
>
> The empire state building didn't have to stop
> working when school buses passed.
>
> The pentagon didn't have 11 major utilities in its
> space before construction could begin.
>
> you cannot compare a building site to a travel
> corridor. duh


Another reason: VDOT was not involved in the Empire State or Pentagon projects.

Roadkill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Correct. If they were allowed to just shut the
> whole thing down and redirect traffic things would
> go much quicker.

And it would have been even quicker if the assholes in charge had widened the damn road 20 years ago when it SHOULD have been done. Instead, the traffic has to get this bad which makes the construction and chore of keeping the bad traffic moving so much worse now. So go fuck yourselves, FFX Co Board, for screwing over normal citizens for so long and instead diverting OUR money to homeless shelters that you name after yourselves and Fastrans tard buses.

Stringfellow Road Opens To Four Lanes Monday
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2014/dec/12/brief-stringfellow-road-opens-four-lanes-monday/

I'll believe it when I see it. Say what you want about utility relocation, eminient domain, or WTF ever... 3-1/2 years to get to this point is just insufferable.

And now everyone can pat themselves on the back for opening lanes to traffic "six months early."

Oh hooray, six months early! Should have been completed by 1998. Assholes.

This tells me it's not finished.

"Over the next few months, drivers can expect minor lane closures for median work and punch list items. Final surface paving and striping will take place with warmer temperatures in the spring. The project is scheduled to be complete in July 2015."

If there have to be minor lane closures for median and punch list items, then they aren't finished 6 months early. Complete in July 2015!

Nighthawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This tells me it's not finished.
>
> "Over the next few months, drivers can expect
> minor lane closures for median work and punch list
> items. Final surface paving and striping will take
> place with warmer temperatures in the spring. The
> project is scheduled to be complete in July
> 2015."
>
> If there have to be minor lane closures for median
> and punch list items, then they aren't finished 6
> months early. Complete in July 2015!

Its seriously going to take them 8 more months? It looks like they're only a few weeks from being done. Some paving, pouring a few curbstones, paint the lines and they're done.

I think they have been working on that road for a decade.

3 and a half years to widen 2 miles of road....and they're crowing about how they finished early. When they won't be done until July 2015. Unbelievable.

Let's do the math. Let's just say it's been 2 years. 730 days.
2 miles of road = 10560 feet.
10560 divided by 730 days = 14.5 feet a day.
That's it? That's all they managed? Less than 15 feet a day?

john lon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think they have been working on that road for a
> decade.


its been 7 years. waterline upgrade was first. then came utility relocation. road had to be widened half at a time. original road was at the point of no return when the project started. state couldn't use its state wide budget to widen one road in nova so project sat until more money could be found.

the best part about the widening is that VDOT has erected temparary offices next to stringfellow that are semi perminate structures. Maybe there is a problem when you need to build a fucking office to build a road.

I went from 29 to 50 on Stringfellow today for the first time in a year or so about 4pm. Traffic was going quite smoothly, but I did notice those hideous construction trailers just to the west. I feel sorry for the poor assholes who were "forced" to use this road during the construction---but I'm fucking retired so can avoid all of this shit if I want.

I've received all of my kickbacks for this project, so it's done from my standpoint.

Though I have heard tale of soccer moms hilariously driving the wrong way now that all four lanes are open. DOH!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2014 04:47PM by Mayor of Greenbriar.

I swear, the only way this project could have taken this long was if they were skimming materials and resources off other projects. If you do it slowly enough, nobody will notice.

does your client ask you to renovate a kitchen during the holidays with additional relatives in the house but says that you can't turn off the water because it is needed to cook breakfast lunch and dinner? does your wife tell you to paint in between helping her host a child's birthday party and wonder when she asks you what is taking so long? what happens when you are told to build a deck at night because the kids naps during the day and then the neighbors complain about the lights and noise when they come home from work? are you expected to put siding on the house during a blizzard?

ever Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> does your client ask you to renovate a kitchen
> during the holidays with additional relatives in
> the house but says that you can't turn off the
> water because it is needed to cook breakfast lunch
> and dinner? does your wife tell you to paint in
> between helping her host a child's birthday party
> and wonder when she asks you what is taking so
> long? what happens when you are told to build a
> deck at night because the kids naps during the day
> and then the neighbors complain about the lights
> and noise when they come home from work? are you
> expected to put siding on the house during a
> blizzard?


Nobody said that widening a road while it is in use is easy. It is very challenging and definitely will take longer.

Anybody can understand it taking twice or three times as long, but not six or eight times as long. Government mismanagement at it's finest.

I understand the culvert near the park took work. But this project has dragged on for years.

End is in sight. I wish they hadn't used that giant metal truss at the intersection with Poplar Tree. So ugly. Are there utilities hidden in that thing?

It still has 8 months I wish they would have finished half of it rather than leave it the mess that it is. Some one made a ton of cash on this shovel ready boondoggle.

Drove it today -- hard to believe there's 8 months to go: the roadway seems done, just lots of detail work (medians, curbs, etc.).

Details like at least one more layer of black top cause they r not up to the curbs. It will have to be redone in the spring after any amount of frozen preceepitation covers the road and causes accidents. Medians wow who would of thought about putting those in when you are building a road. I'm now hoping for a lot of snow so that VDOT destroys the road and they get to start all over again. Shocking that they couldn't have finished half of the road in either direction.

A word of caution to those turning left off Stringfellow Rd south onto RT 50 West at the Stringfellow / RT 50 intersection (i.e. the non-Chantilly HS or library side of the intersection of Stringfellow RD / taking a left to go to the Greenbriar Shopping Center). THE CENTER LANE AT THE INTERSECTION IS NOW A STRAIGHT ONLY, RATHER THAN THE STRAIGHT/LEFT TURN IT USED TO BE. Of the three lanes at the intersection, the left only lane is now the only left turn lane onto RT 50 West. They also changed the light pattern so that the LEFT TURNS OFF STRINGFELLOW RD ON BOTH SIDES OF THE INTERSECTION GO AT THE SAME TIME. Thus, if you are unaware that the center lane is a straight only, you may end up RUNNING A RED LIGHT AND GOING INTO ONCOMING LEFT TURNERS coming from the Chantilly HS side of the intersection as both those left turns go. I made that mistake and so did the bus in-front of me which almost caused a crash.

They really screwed this one up. The whole reason they put that left turn only lane in on the south bound side was to alleviate the traffic jam caused by everyone wanting to turn onto RT 50 West. They don't even give the left turners enough time, with only 5 cars able to get through the intersection. With the center lane left turn gone, I foresee the rush hour traffic on Stingfellow RD south bound towards the Stringfellow / RT 50 intersection to go back to how it was 6 years ago. Good job Fairfax County.

^ Thanks for the heads up! I hate that intersection.

Even assuming the traffic flow justifies the change (which it might?), some signage would have made sense. I'm often coming south on Stringfellow and turning left onto 50 East, and noticed the change, which fortunately for me didn't matter 'cause I was already in the (now only) left-turn lane.

Turning left from southbound Stringfellow Road onto Rte. 50 puts you onto Rte. 50 east, not west. Westbound Rte. 50 would take you from Stringfellow Rd. west, past Lowe's and Rte. 28. Eastbound Rte. 50 takes you from Stringfellow Rd. to the Greenbriar Shopping Center and the FFX Co. Pkwy.

Aside from that, thanks for the heads up regarding lane and signal changes.

Northbound crossing 50, headed towards Fax County Parkway, same thing. Two left turn lanes, and only one straight lane where the right turn lane used to be. Many confused and often inconsiderate people changing lanes at the last minute.

I suppose we'll get used to it eventually, it still beats what we had before.

Now how long before Transurban will come in and make the Stringfellow Express lanes with a "reasonable" variable rate toll. (HOV-3 still free with EZ-Pass Flex!)

Greybeard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Even assuming the traffic flow justifies the
> change (which it might?), some signage would have
> made sense. I'm often coming south on Stringfellow
> and turning left onto 50 East, and noticed the
> change, which fortunately for me didn't matter
> 'cause I was already in the (now only) left-turn
> lane.


+1 They changed the left turn from two lanes to one lane put failed to change the signage. A lot of people are still making the left turn from the middle lane.

It's fucked up and there's going to be accidents without proper signage for the middle lane.