Lane Ranger Live

The state will work to improve one local intersection on Spriggs Road near Dumfries thanks to work of News & Messenger’s Lane Ranger.

Last month, Woodbridge resident Bill Dane wrote the Lane Ranger and told us about mismatched lane markings at the intersection on Spriggs Road, at the intersection of and Forest Park and Fincastle drives near Dumfries.

Dane described the problem, stating that when driving in the right lane of the four-lane road, he and other drivers can easily end up in left lane after they pass though the intersection.

A spokesman from the Prince William County Department of Transportation then said they would refer the problem to the state, which is responsible for maintaining the road, and they would examine the problem.

If necessary, the state could install markings throughout the intersection called “puppy tracks” to help motorists stay in their lanes, a county department of transportation spokesman said.

We learned today the state plans to stripe the road surface with the spotted lane markings.

“There is a slight shift crossing thru this intersection, and [we] can see how this may create a problem with this slight horizontal curve in the middle of this intersection,” stated Virginia Department of Transportation Engineer Jim Lilly.

The intersection sits near a high school and a large suburban housing development.

There is a renewed push to find a new way across the Potomac River.

While the number of daily trips Washingtonians make on public transit is expected to increase by 400,000, to 1.6 million over the next 20 years, the projection pales in comparison to the number of trips people will make with their cars.

Data from the National Capital Planning Board, released Monday from the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, estimates residents will make 5.2 million more trips by car between now and 2030. Currently each year, 27.3 million trips are made by car in the Washington area.

“Increased transit ridership is good news, but the need for major new, sustained investment in a more robust highway and Potomac River bridge network is greater than ever,” stated Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance President Robert Chase.

Among other transit initiatives, Chase has long supported an outer Beltway linking Interstate 95, south of Fredericksburg, with I-270 somewhere in Montgomery County, Md.

If the route were to be built, new bridge crossing the Potomac, linking Maryland and Virginia would be needed north of the American Legion Bridge.

With winter on the way, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission has updated their Emergency Service plan and has made brochures detailing the change available to riders.

The transit agency, which operates OmniRide commuter and OmniLink local buses, announced Monday riders can stop by their Woodbridge transit center on Potomac Mills Road and pick up a free copy of the brochure.

Riders can also access it online by visiting prtctransit.org.

The Emergency Service Plan is put into effecting during inclement weather or other emergencies which require buses to be rerouted to effectively get riders to their destinations.

The plan, or ESP, was used earlier this year during a snow storm and during the Presidential inauguration in January. 

Drivers could encounter delays this weekend on the Capital Beltway near Braddock Road.

The eastbound ramp from Braddock Road to the Beltway will close Friday at 9:30 p.m. and remain closed until 5 a.m. Monday.

A detour will be in effect as Virginia Department of Transportation crews install a new waterline, as part of the $1.4 billion Beltway High Occupancy Toll lanes construction project.

Detour Route: Continue east on Braddock Road, over Interstate 495 and take the exit ramp onto I-495 north and follow ramp around onto Braddock Road west back over I-495 and exit onto the I-495 south.

Braddock Road motorists may encounter delays approaching the I-495 interchange especially during peak day and evening hours.  Should inclement weather delay the waterline work the ramp closure will be rescheduled for Nov. 20-23.

Construction will continue along this portion of the Beltway throughout the winter, as new steel beams will be erected at overpasses at Oak Street, U.S. 29, Braddock Road, I-66 and the Springfield Interchange, according to VDOT. The project will replace $260 million in aging infrastructure as part of the Beltway HOT lanes project, scheduled to be completed in 2013.

All drivers will be able to use the High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes tomorrow, Veteran’s Day, as the usual commuter restrictions will be lifted.

The lanes will operate on the normal schedule and run northbound until 11 a.m., and then will be reversed to the southbound direction at 1 p.m., according to a press release from the Virginia Department of Transportation.