Road Closures Transform Tysons
Three more long-term closures put in place, with more to come.
By Mike DiCicco
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Vienna Connection
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/...per=73&cat=104
Temporary closures of lanes, shoulders and turn lanes have become commonplace in Tysons Corner, the most heavily traveled area of the county, in the year or so since construction work began on Rail to Dulles and High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes on the Capital Beltway. But three more closures just went into effect that will not reopen for the morning rush or at the end of the week. One, in fact, is permanent.
However, McLean Citizens Association President Rob Jackson said there wasn’t a lot of concern about these three closures among McLean residents. "I haven’t heard a lot of specific complaints," he said, although he noted that, "if we had our way, we wouldn’t be going through this."
He said he wanted to commend the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fluor Corporation — the company building the HOT lanes — for a "180-degree turnaround" in communication efforts since last year’s outcry from residents who learned of a staging area being cleared near Cooper Middle School only after they saw trees being cut down. "They’re really doing a good job of reaching out and communicating ahead of time and letting everyone know what’s going on," Jackson said.
THE CLOSURE NEAREST MCLEAN, which went into effect on Sunday and will last 45 days, is on the ramp from the Beltway southbound to northbound Route 123. The detour route requires drivers to take a short trip along the Dulles Toll Road to hit Dolley Madison Boulevard.
The route is actually shorter, and VDOT spokesman Steve Titunik said traffic on what is now the detour route was always heavier than on the ramp that is now closed. And the jaunt on the Toll Road does not cost anything. However, Titunik said, "The construction part of this is not fun."
The latest ramp closure is to allow for preparation for the construction of ramps connecting Westpark Drive to the HOT lanes, and also for the creation of two water retention facilities. Another connection to the HOT lanes will be built nearby, from Jones Branch Road. Titunik said the new connections would encourage the many commuters who work in that area, where there are a number of large employers such as Hilton, Gannett and Freddie Mac, to carpool. "The point is, it’s providing choices for getting in and around Tysons Corner," he said.
Any drivers who miss the detour onto the Toll Road, though, will have to take the Route 7 exit and would likely use Magarity Road to get into McLean. Jackson said the citizens association is already concerned about "bailout traffic" on its roads, caused by drivers trying to avoid construction delays now, rising tolls on the Toll Road in the near future and, eventually, backups due to a more densely developed Tysons Corner. He said the MCA was unconvinced that rail and the HOT lanes would keep most commuters from driving by themselves, although he was pleased that the toll lanes would allow Beltway bus service.
Just west of the Beltway ramp closure, the barricade that recently closed off the median break on Route 7 in front of Marshalls Department Store, north of Route 123, will one day be replaced by a Metro station. Previously, drivers coming out of the Marshalls parking lot could turn left onto Route 7 north or cross the road to an unnamed service road known by the state as Frontage Road. This road is the only point of access to a number of businesses, including Clyde’s Restaurant, the Orvis sportsman’s clothing store and a Virginia ABC store among others, and leads to Pinnacle Drive. Drivers coming out of Frontage Road can no longer turn left onto Route 7 south or cross to Marshalls.
"That’s being closed because we’re about to start construction of Tysons Central Station there," said Marcia McAllister, communications manager for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. In the early fall, all other mid-block turns along Route 7 in Tysons Corner will be closed as well, as the median is widened to make way for the rail that will run down its center.
ROUTE 7 will be pushed out to fill the areas now occupied by service roads, and McAllister said the service roads also would begin to be permanently shut down in the fall.
Just south of Marshalls, the left turn from the ramp coming from Route 123 south onto eastbound Route 7 has also been closed, due to tunnel construction. "You can still go down that ramp and go westbound on Route 7," said Howard Menaker, an engineer with Dulles Transit Partners. Rail will depart from the Dulles Toll Road at Tysons Corner, heading south on Route 123, tunneling under the intersection with Route 7 and emerging at the station in front of Marshalls, Menaker said.
The left turn will reopen in three years. In the meantime, drivers who want to get from Route 123 southbound to eastbound Route 7 have to make a left on International Drive, which hits Route 7 only about a block from the interchange.