Interchange at Rt 28/Innovation Ave.

I received the following email from Shirley Construction regarding a question I had about shutting down Innovation Ave at Route 28. Here is the good news:

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Jim-

You are correct in your observations about the Rte. 28/Innovation intersection. Over the last year, we have studied the traffic conditions and design alternatives at the 4 remaining interchange locations along Rte 28 (Nokes, Innovation, Frying Pan, and Willard). The intent of these studies was to determine the design and cost of the improvements at each location so that funding can be obtained to complete each.

At Innovation, the selected alternative is to construct a right-in/right-out along northbound Rte. 28 at Innovation. These movements will be constructed on the ultimate ramps of a future interchange so that the interchange is never precluded. In addition, a northbound lane will be added to connect the Dulles Toll Road on ramp to the Rte 606 exit ramp. Southbound Rte. 28 traffic heading to Innovation will be signed to exit at the Rte. 606 interchange and directed to Rock Hill Road. This should dramatically improve the traffic conditions getting off of the Toll Road and in both directions on Rte. 28.

The good news is that we are in the final stages of obtaining the funding needed to construct these remaining 4 interchanges and expect to start design, right of way, utility relocations, and permitting within the next month. Construction of all 4 interchanges should be complete by the end of 2009, although Innovation should be completed 1-2 years ahead of that.

Thanks for taking the time to provide your comments and let me know if you have any other questions.
-----------------------------------------------------
Jon F. Harman
Vice President
Shirley Contracting Company, LLC
45240 Business Court, Suite 150
Dulles, Va 20166

 

Jim,
Thanks for posting - I was thinking about this light as I have been attempting to avoid the Greenway lately. Once Sterling Blvd is done it will be the only light before the toll road. The fact that many mornings I have to stop along with evereyone else to allow one or two cars out is ridiculous. Hopefully they can obtain the funding and get it moving sooner rather than later.
B

 

This should help improve the bad bottleneck on the 28 North exit ramp from the Toll Rd a great deal. Will help even more if they keep a dedicated lane to Toll Rd. traffic coming onto 28 all the way up to the right exit for 606 so cars don't have to merge instantly and also if they can do something to add another lane after the toll plaza so three lanes don't have to merge to one immediately.

 

Looking at the overly engineered Waxpool interchange, I wouldn't hold my breath. That has got to be one of the worst designed merge points ever.

Makes me wonder what are the qualifications for designing the roads around here. For example, the lights on Waxpool. I imagine we will be getting one infront of the five guys in the next few months. Have they made any effort at synchronizing all of the planned lights from 28 out to Claiborne?

 

As it is currently taking 25 minutes to get from Ashburn Village Blvd past Loudoun County Parkway on Waxpool any time from 7am through 9:30am M-F, I have personally decided to boycott the stores in the Ashburn Icehouse area (b/c of the extra light that was added and not necessary in front of the Shell). I will boycott the Five Guys restaurant area if they add a light there (that will equal ten lights in the 3.9 miles I have to drive down Waxpool from my house to Route 28). I like Five Guys, but they chose that spot and another light there will just add more minutes to my morning commute. Instead of the road rage, I am doing to boycott rage. I have plenty of time to plan these crazy thoughts while stuck in the yuck that has become Waxpool Road.

 

They have got to do something about the whole Waxpool Rd. mess which obviously is only to get worse as more and more developments are completed. I come off LCP and turn right onto Waxpool and the extra right turn lane (shared with a center lane) is a help, but only slightly so. Coming home the light to turn left onto LCP from Waxpool is over 3 minutes with most of that being devoted to Waxpool traffic going both ways. It's like that in the AM too. What happens when traffic on LCP picks up and they start to have a longer light cycle going that direction? What are the realistic solutions?

Better light timing?

Adding a third lane all the way to Ashburn Village Blvd?

Completing an alternate route(s) from Ashburn towards 28 (extend Shellhorn over the Broad Run from LCP to 606 and extend Gloucester Pkwy to LCP and then to 28)?

I know the last two cost money and there is no money, but short of building an interchange at LCP/Waxpool there is not much left that can be done.

 

The only way to fix that road is to make it like rt 7 in tysons, access roads parallel to waxpool or have the shops funnel into LCP from behind and no direct access to waxpool. Otherwise it will be like Broad st. in Richmond, light after light after light....

 

I really only find the light at LCP to be the major problem (at least when I'm on the road) Even at 615am it has traffic backed up to the hotels/Five Guys area. Why they didnt require that intersection to be above/under Waxpool is beyond me. I agree the light at the Ice Rink shopping Center makes no sense - Eastbound traffic on Waxpool should be required to turn at the light that already existed to get into those places. Also one of the lights at AOL could be removed.
I recently wrote to the BOS suggesting they focus on getting LCP/Waxpool fixed in some fashion rather than spending time on LCP/Rt7 which Loudoun One has already agreed to pay for. We'll see if they have any positive thoughts.

 

Beahmer-
The answer is simple...they had someone else's money (the businesses in the Rte 28 tax district) to pay for the improvements along Rte 28. There is no money to do anything at Waxpool/Loudoun County Parkway.

I attended a meeting about 3 years ago hosted by AOL to discuss the road transportation plans. It was attended primarily by big developers and politicians. They were all quite proud of themselves as they discussed the great things they were doing to fix the traffic congestion. After they completed the presentation on LCP and Waxpool, I pointed out two things.....first, by creating only one wat in and out of the Wegman's/CarMax shoppping center, they were going to create a bottle neck. Second, the completion of LCP through Waxpool was going to create a significant traffic congestion issue there as well.

They sort of looked at me like the kid that just pe*d in their wheaties. They said there was no money for improvements for Waxpool/LCP, their priority is Rte 28 and Rte 7, and quickly moved on.

 

The two lights at AOL are needed!!!!! There's almost 5,000 employees and they need both Broderick and Pacific Blvd. to get out of the campus....not to mention people coming from the Park and Ride. Before the light at Pacific, the line on Broderick at the light was absolutely ridiculous!!

 

The latest:

• Beginning in Spring 2007, construction will commence on a partial interchange at Innovation Avenue. This will entail the placement of a temporary barrier along right shoulder of northbound Rt. 28, the removal of a traffic signal at Innovation Ave., the temporary restriction of access to Innovation Ave., and the construction of a continuous weave/merge lane from the toll road to the Rt. 606 interchange, and ramps from and to northbound Rt. 28. Construction is expected to reach completion in the Fall of 2007.

 

look here http://www.28freeway.com/
They show all the plans for all the intersections they plan on modifying, and when.

 

Hallelujah!!! Now if we could just get them to finish up construction of the 28/Toll Road interchange at the airport entrance, Route 28 will be a viable alternative.
I read somewhere that 28 is eventually planned to be 4 lanes in each direction. I wonder when that is supposed to happen.
Now, let's move on to Waxpool. Any improvements planned there? How about an overpass at Loudoun County Parkway? That would make a huge improvement.

 

If you look closely they have ALREADY RE STRIPED 28 at most of where the new interchanges will be, including Nokes. there is also construction signs up now.

It is going to be interesting is when they remove the two lights between nokes and waxpool the orbital people are going to have a harder time getting there unless atlantic is pushed through to waxpool and pacific also needs to be pushed through waxpool.

For most of us this will be a welcomed change.

Lee j

 

Without looking at the plans, getting onto 28 from the Greenway can be a potential nightmare!

There is usually a long backup waiting to merge onto 28. The light at Innovation actually creates a gap where a significant amount of cars can get onto 28. What happens when that light is gone and there is a continuous, heavy flow of traffic coming down 28 and a large portion of it trying to get onto the Toll Rd.

 

Maybe I'm slow....but how are you going to access Innovation from 28th south with the new interchange? (Coming from Ashburn)

Is there a way to get to Innovation from 606 then?