Alexandria – Starting on or about March 19, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project will embark on a new phase of construction that is anticipated to cause periodic significant delays for motorists traveling the Inner and Outer Loops of the Capital Beltway I-95/495, Telegraph Road and Eisenhower Valley area. When completed, three new ramps will improve traffic flow by providing direct access from Telegraph Road North to Eisenhower Avenue, from the Outer Loop to Telegraph Road North, and from the Outer Loop directly to Eisenhower Avenue, and will include a bike and pedestrian path.
”While I’m pleased to see the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project coming down the home stretch, this important phase of construction will be a real challenge for our community, so I urge drivers to be well informed and plan accordingly,” said Delegate David Englin (D-45), who represents the area most affected by the construction.
Up to now, most of the new ramp work has been done with minor impacts to traffic. However, in order to proceed, contractors must demolish the existing Outer Loop ramp to Telegraph Road North and detour travelers on a temporary exit ramp that ends at a traffic signal to turn left onto northbound Telegraph Road. While the traffic signal will be timed to allow the maximum number of vehicles to pass, the temporary red light will reduce the number of vehicles that can pass on both Telegraph Road North and the Outer Loop ramp to Telegraph Road North. The traffic signal is anticipated to remain in place until late 2010, when the ramp connecting the Outer Loop to Telegraph Road North will be completed.
“Later this year, commuters and other travelers will be able to enjoy direct, easy access into this growing region by way of these three new ramps,” said Ronaldo T. “Nick” Nicholson, VDOT Woodrow Wilson Bridge project manager and regional transportation program director. “The ramps also will decrease traffic on Telegraph Road North and Pershing Avenue, and will include new paths that will allow pedestrians and bicyclists easy access to the Eisenhower Valley from south of the Beltway.”
Near-term closures and reconfigurations:
Over the weekend of March 19-21, the Outer Loop exit to Telegraph Road North will be rerouted, and exits/on-ramps for the Inner Loop realigned. This will allow crews to complete the new ramps and to demolish and replace portions of old Beltway bridges in this corridor during the 2010 construction season.
Motorists are advised to avoid this part of the Beltway during this weekend or seek alternate routes to their destination to avoid delays. Variable message signs (VMS) will be posted in advance to alert motorists to the shift activities.
Details of the lane and ramp closures and descriptions of the temporary detours are as follows:
Friday, March 19 overnight impacts:
- Weather permitting, beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 19, the current exits from the Beltway Outer Loop (I-95/495 North) to Telegraph Road North and South will be closed and Beltway traffic will be narrowed in the area to one lane. Motorists traveling the Outer Loop who wish to access Telegraph Road should use the earlier Eisenhower Connector exit (#174).
- By 10 p.m., the Beltway Inner Loop (I-95/495 South) exit to Telegraph Road North and Pershing Avenue will be closed. The detour for this closure is also for motorists to use the Eisenhower Connector exit (#174). This exit will re-open in the early hours of Saturday morning.
- Around midnight, a second Outer Loop traffic lane will reopen.
- By 8 a.m. Saturday morning, all Outer Loop lanes and the new Outer Loop temporary exit to Telegraph Road North will be open to traffic.
What the results will mean to drivers:
- Outer Loop drivers bound for Telegraph Road North will exit earlier than they are accustomed to via a temporary ramp accessed from the current ramp to Telegraph Road South (Exit 176A). This temporary ramp will run parallel to the existing Huntington Avenue exit ramp, and will come to a signal to turn left (north) onto Telegraph Road.
- Once north of the Beltway, motorists bound for Duke Street will use the two left Telegraph Road North lanes, which will proceed without interruption. The right lane will become a right-turn onlylane onto Pershing Avenue for motorists who wish to access the Eisenhower Valley, and will be controlled by a temporary traffic signal.
- The temporary traffic signal at Pershing Avenue should be in place less than four months. It will be removed as soon as the ramp from Telegraph Road North to Eisenhower Avenue opens.
- Rush hour delays to Outer Loop traffic are not expected to worsen because of this temporary ramp. Outer Loop to Telegraph Road ramp traffic may be delayed up to 15 minutes. Also, the AM north bound rush hour travel time on Telegraph Road is expected to take up to 20 minutes longer. This condition may last up to 8 months.
- Motorists are strongly advised to seek alternate routes for these two impacted conditions, e.g. Outer Loop to Telegraph Road could exit at the Eisenhower Connector (#174) and get to Telegraph Road via Eisenhower Avenue; northbound Telegraph Road travelers could travel via Van Dorn.
Saturday, March 20 overnight impacts:
- Weather permitting, beginning at 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, traffic on the Beltway Inner Loop (I-95/495 South) local and thru lanes will be narrowed to one lane each just west of U.S. Route 1. The on-ramp from Telegraph Road North to the Beltway Inner Loop will be closed, with a detour via Pershing Avenue. The Inner Loop exits to Telegraph Road South will be closed and traffic will be detoured to the Eisenhower Connector (exit #174). Inner Loop traffic will be able to access Telegraph Road North and Pershing Avenue.
- Route 1 traffic accessing the Inner Loop will be directed to the thru lanes, with no access to Telegraph Road.
- By midday on Sunday, all three Inner Loop lanes (one local and two thru) and all ramps will be reopened to traffic.
What the results will mean to drivers:
- Starting Sunday, drivers will see a separated exit/access lane on the Inner Loop to the right of normal travel lanes that will allow vehicles to exit to Telegraph Road South, and allow traffic to merge onto the Inner Loop from north and southbound Telegraph Road.
- The ‘exit only’ lane from the Inner Loop to Telegraph Road South will occur earlier than presently. One travel lane for Inner Loop local traffic will continue, then merge with the two Inner Loop thru lanes.
- No travel times through the work zone are expected to increase for Inner Loop travelers because of this shift. The temporary on-ramp alignments from Telegraph Road to the Inner Loop, with shortened acceleration distances and no-merge yield conditions, will create slightlylonger entrance times – most especially during the PM rush hour.
In the event of weather delays, the overnight work scheduled for March 19 will be rescheduled for the night of March 20, and the overnight work scheduled for March 20 will take place the night of Friday, March 26.
Longer-term 2010 activities:
A second temporary traffic configuration will occur in summer 2010, approximately four months after the March start date and upon completion of the new ramp from Telegraph Road North to Eisenhower Avenue. During this stage, Outer Loop traffic will continue to use the temporary exit to Telegraph Road North, then will be able to continue straight toward Duke Street or turn right onto the new ramp to Eisenhower Avenue. The new bike and pedestrian path will open on the new ramp. The temporary signals at Telegraph Road and Pershing Avenue will be removed.
A third configuration will occur in fall 2010, approximately eight months after the March start date. In this configuration, the new Outer Loop exit will open to provide direct access to either Telegraph Road North or the Eisenhower Valley, and the new Inner Loop ramp to Telegraph Road North will open. At this point, there will be no temporary traffic impacts for Outer Loop travelers exiting for Telegraph Road and motorists will be able to fully enjoy the new ramp access.
While Inner Loop traffic is shifted left on the bridges over Telegraph Road and Cameron Run, crews will continue to demolish the old bridges and build the replacements that will become the local lanes. By the end of the 2010 construction season, the goal is to have all traffic on the new local lane bridges and off the deteriorating old bridges. The plan is to also have all Telegraph Road/Beltway on/off ramps in their final and permanent configuration by the end of this year.
To preview the improvements coming to the Telegraph Road interchange, and for details and visuals of the traffic configurations for the 2010 construction season, visit the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project website at www.wilsonbridge.com.
