Road projects rolling in Gainesville

Pat Bailey said she may not be living in Gainesville once construction at Interstate 66 and U.S. 29 is finished, but she said the road should be a lot easier to navigate when its done.

Contractors for the Virginia Department of Transportation are widening a 3.3 mile stretch of I-66, between U.S. 29 and the Prince William Parkway.

The widening is part of a larger $396 million project, which in its first phase included the construction of a new four-lane University Boulevard, which connected U.S. 29 to Wellington Road, as well as the widening of I-66 to eight lanes between Va. 234 (Sudley Road) and U.S. 29.

That phase of the project was finished in 2006, and then crews quickly advanced to the second — improvements to the interchange at I-66 and U.S. 29.

But VDOT officials say the centerpiece of the project will be the improvements to the interchange at Linton Hall Road and U.S. 29. When it’s done in 2014, drivers will no longer have to navigate the train tracks that cross the four lane road.

U.S. 29 will be elevated above the tracks and will allow freight and possibly commuter trains to seamlessly pass below.

Both interchanges, at I-66 and at Linton Hall Road, will also have more lane separation, reducing the risk of car crashes and improving traffic flow in the area, said VDOT spokeswoman Jennifer McCord.

As she was putting groceries into her car, Bailey said it’s a project that has been long overdue.

“It depends on what time of day you travel on the road, but even then it is always full of cars. And when a train is going by you’ll have no problem seeing it, because you’ll be stuck in traffic as it’s passing you,” said Bailey.

VDOT Project Manager Avtar Singh has been working on the project since construction began more than four years ago.

The third and current phase in the four-stage project is the current effort to widen I-66 at U.S. 29.

After it’s widened, the $214 million interchange will boast new bridges and easier to navigate lanes. There will also be more lane separation that will reduce the potential for crashes, said McCord.

Though the project won’t be complete until next summer, there have already been some major improvements to the interchange, said Singh.

A wider, two-lane highway entrance ramp has already opened, which allows cars to effortlessly travel from northbound U.S. 29 onto I-66 east. It is easier to navigate than the old one.

Another new two-lane ramp is slated to open soon and will allow cars to travel from southbound U.S. 29 onto I-66 west. That ramp is an improvement on the intersection, and removes the old need for drivers to navigate a signal light to get onto the highway.

The newly constructed bridges at the interchange replace ones that were built in the 1980s and come complete with new columns drilled deep into the earth’s bedrock, said Singh.

They have new steel beams, newly poured concrete bridge decks and newly secured diaphragms which are fastened beneath the bridge deck and help in part to secure the bridge in place, said Singh.

And as an added bonus, one of the bridges on the eastbound side of I-66 that was originally going to be refurbished, was replaced.

The old bridge was going to be repainted, but the cost of the paint skyrocketed to $500,000, said Singh.

“For the cost of painting the bridge, we could get a new one for the same price,” said Singh.

Singh said rebuilding it could potentially extend the structure’s lifespan for at least 30 years.

The High Occupancy Vehicle carpool lanes, which now terminate at Va. 234, will also be extended to U.S. 29 in Gainesville.

Overall, the job has gone smoothly except for one day in October of last year.

More than 50 people were working at the construction site just after noon on Oct. 6 when a steel bridge beam collapsed onto U.S. 29. The bridge was being demolished to make way for one of the new bridges.

Traffic had already been detoured away from construction site for weeks prior to the collapse, but a communications snafu that day had many people thinking one construction worker had been killed, and that the subsequent damage could have closed a portion of I-66.

No one was killed, though a construction worker did suffer minor injuries. And the beam never fell onto the interstate.

“I was right there when it happened, and the first thing that we did after we assessed the situation was to call our bosses to them that no one was seriously injured,” said Singh.

Prince William County communications officials attributed the miscommunication to drivers who used their cell phones to call 911, and then weren’t able to provide accurate details about the emergency.

Singh said the beam “unexpectedly moved” and then collapsed.

Since then, crews at the site have taken more precautions, including a decision to leave in place more of the bridge’s secure diaphragms during demolition.

Minor work continues along I-66 near Va. 234 as crews bury conduit pipe that will house fiber optic cables.The cables will later be used when video cameras are installed to monitor traffic conditions.

Those lines also could be leased to communications providers, laying the ground work for faster and more abundant internet access as more houses are built in western Prince William County, said Singh.

At least 100 new light poles will also be placed along the project corridor on I-66, illuminating the highway from Va. 234 to Gainesville.

The fourth and final phase — considered to the centerpiece of the project — will bring the construction of two overpasses, at Linton Hall and Gallerher roads.

U.S. 29 will be widened to eight lanes and will be elevated over a set of train tracks by a planned overpass near the I-66 interchange, said McCord.

Another planned overpass will carry Linton Hall and Gallerher roads over U.S. 29, and over the same set of nearby railroad tracks.

In the process, McCord said 38 buildings will be demolished and at least six major utilities in the area will be relocated.

The Virginia Railway Express is currently looking for a contractor to complete an environmental impact study, for a potential 11-mile extension of the commuter railroad from the Manassas Regional Airport to the Gainesville area.

If the railroad is extended, a new track will be built along the current one and the number of fright trains that use the rail line will nearly double, said a Virginia Railway Express spokesman.

The roadway improvements are scheduled to be completed in 2014.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.