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HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2011-06-13 Edwards Ferry Road closure Town of Leesburg News Release For Immediate Release Edwards Ferry Road To Be Closed At Battlefield Parkway From Monday, June 20, 2011 Through Friday, August 19, 2011 Leesburg, VA (June 13, 2011) – As part of the Town’s on-going Battlefield Parkway capital improvement project, Edwards Ferry Road will be temporarily closed at the intersection with Battlefield Parkway from Monday, June 20, 2011 through Friday, August 19, 2011. A map of the road closure and detour routes is below. A new section of Battlefield Parkway, extending from Fort Evans Road to Edwards Ferry Road, is currently under construction by the Town. This section of Battlefield Parkway is one of two remaining uncompleted segments of the four-lane divided highway that will eventually form an outer loop around the east side of Leesburg. Construction on this section of Battlefield Parkway began in the fall of 2008 with utility relocation and grading work. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. (more) TOL PR 2011-06-13 Edwards Ferry Road closure Page 2 The purpose of the temporary road closure is to accelerate the construction schedule for two lanes of the new roadway segment. The accelerated schedule will allow those two lanes of Battlefield Parkway, including the full Edwards Ferry Road intersection, to be open to traffic prior to the start of the 2011-2012 school year. “By closing the entire intersection to traffic during this nine-week period, our contractors can work more efficiently,” explained Renée LaFollette, Deputy Director of Capital Projects Management. “Significant re-grading work is necessary, as well as the installation of a new traffic signal. Even if we did keep the intersection open, there would be major traffic disruptions and delays. Ultimately, we felt it was better to close the whole intersection for nine weeks, than to have the intersection be a construction zone until the end of the year.” According to Town Manager John Wells, the ability to open two lanes of Battlefield Parkway – one lane in each direction – by the time that Loudoun County Public Schools reopen in August 2011 was the deciding factor for the Council to temporarily close Edwards Ferry Road. “Town Council members are very concerned about the impact of the road closure on both area residents and the businesses on Edwards Ferry Road,” commented Wells. “But the public input we received was overwhelmingly in support of the temporary road closure. The benefits to the public in terms of improving the safety of the intersection, along with the accelerated opening of two lanes, really outweighed the temporary inconvenience of closing the road.” The full four-lane Battlefield Parkway segment, from Fort Evans Road to Edwards Ferry Road, is expected to be completed in December 2011. Once this section of Battlefield Parkway is open to traffic, Town officials anticipate that the new alternate north-south route will alleviate traffic congestion on the Route 15 Bypass. Completion of this Battlefield Parkway segment will leave the section from Evergreen Mill Road to South King Street as the only uncompleted segment. The Town’s newly approved 2012-2017 Capital Improvements Program includes funding for design and construction of two lanes from Evergreen Mill to South King Street, with construction scheduled for late 2011/early 2012. Recently, the Virginia Department of Transportation included funding for construction of the final two lanes of this section of Battlefield Parkway is its preliminary Six-Year Plan. For more information about the Battlefield Parkway capital improvement project, please visit the project webpage at www.leesburgva.gov/index.aspx?page=724. Contact: Renée LaFollette, P.E. Deputy Director of Capital Projects Management rlafollette@leesburgva.gov 703-737-6071 # # #