Politics & Government

VDOT Hopes Friday's Gainesville Train Strike Will Be the Last

A new bridge that will elevate Route 29 vehicle traffic over the railroad crossing near Linton Hall Road will open in August, transportation officials said.

A bridge that will prevent cars traveling on Route 29 in Gainesville from stopping on the railroad tracks near Linton Hall Road is expected to open next month.

Last week, there was more evidence of the need. On Friday, a tractor-trailer traveling on Route 29 was struck by a passing train, causing major delays.

It is the third train strike in nine months at that site, Joan Morris a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation, said on Monday.

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“Hopefully, it’ll be the last,” she said. Train strikes are the main reason why the agency is building bridges in Gainesville, she added.

“It’s crazy to have traffic on Route 29 stop at railroad crossings,” Morris said.

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On Feb. 21 at the height of the afternoon commute, there was another train versus tractor-trailer incident. Prince William Police said the tractor-trailer was stopped on the railroad tracks when the train struck it.

Just two months earlier on Dec. 19, a driver disregarded the signs and roadway markings and stopped on the tracks, causing the train to strike the rear of the car, Prince William Police said.

The driver involved in the crash was charged with the incident while two other motorists stopped in the no-stopping zone around the tracks were ticketed, police said.

VDOT crews added signage and made a lot of changes near the tracks, warning people not to stop in certain areas while telling them where they should stop. But when there is bumper-to-bumper traffic, Morris said, people just don’t pay attention.

“The problem is always worst during rush hour …  you are really just inching along,” she said.

VDOT plans to build another bridge on Linton Hall Road so motor traffic can avoid a railroad crossing there, Morris said. 

Read more information on these projects and others in the area here.

Work on the $267 million Route 29 bridge project began in 2010. Traffic will be rolled over to the new bridge beginning Friday, Aug. 16 through Aug. 18.

During the transition, only one lane will be open in each direction on Route 29 and Linton Hall Road. Drivers can avoid delays by using Interstate 66 that weekend, according to a release issued earlier this month by VDOT.

VDOT project team members are hosting a public meeting about the switch from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday at 5095 Wellington Rd., in the storefront between the Sports Authority and Golfsmith in the Gateway Shopping Center in Gainesville

There are lots of businesses in the area and the project team wants to explain the switch and answer any questions business owners and residents may have about it, Morris said.

The Route 29 project is just one of the four elements of a larger, $435 million project.

The other three elements of the project include: 

  • The 1.3-mile, four-lane University Boulevard, connecting Route 29 and Wellington Road. The road opened in 2006 at a cost of $18 million.
  • The widening of 3.3 miles of Interstate 66 to eight lanes from Route 234 Business/Sudley Road to the Route 234 Bypass. The project was completed in 2006 at a cost of $46 million.
  • The widening of 2.5 miles of I-66 to eight lanes from the Route 234 Bypass to Route 29 in Gainesville at a cost of $103 million.

 The entire project is expected to be completed in 2015


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