Sketches of New Courthouse Interchange Released

If you’re used to seeing the ugly, dangerous Route 50/Courthouse Road interchange, get ready for a big change. VDOT has released some sketches of what the interchange will look like by 2014.

Next month VDOT will begin work on a $39 million project to revamp the aging, confusing mess of on-ramps and off-ramps. The interchange’s bridges will be rebuilt and dedicated acceleration/deceleration lanes will be added.

For the next two an a half years, motorists can expect nightly closures of 2-3 lanes of Route 50 in both directions, as well as occasional closures of side streets and on/off ramps. VDOT says it will announce the closures in advance and provide signed detours.

VDOT will be holding a public meeting on Tuesday, May 3, to answer neighborhood questions about the project. The meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the Arlington County Boardroom (2100 Clarendon Blvd).

See the full VDOT press release after the jump.

This month, the Virginia Department of Transportation begins a $39 million project to improve safety and accessibility at the congested Courthouse Road and 10th Street interchanges on Route 50 (Arlington Boulevard) in Arlington County. The project will be complete in the fall of 2013.

 

Beginning mid-May, drivers can expect up to two of three lanes in each direction on Route 50 to be closed weeknights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. through the interchanges.

 

Four future closures with signed detours are also expected over the course of the two-year project. The schedule and duration of these closures and the alternate routes will be announced well in advance:

• Northbound ramp to Courthouse Road closed as well as tie-in of Fairfax Drive to westbound Rt. 50
• Closure of Fairfax Drive between Courthouse Road and Scott Street
• Closure of ramp from southbound 10th Street to eastbound Rt. 50 and Fairfax Drive
• Detours for removal of Courthouse Rd. bridge over Rt. 50

These two interchanges, constructed in the early 1950s, are tightly spaced by today’s standards, with short acceleration lanes and insufficient capacity to accommodate current and future traffic volumes.

 

The project includes rebuilding the existing bridges, and improving the interchanges by adding dedicated acceleration/deceleration lanes separated from the main roadway. These new lanes will improve traffic flow by managing the merge of entering and exiting vehicles.

 

Additional improvements include:

 

• Signalized intersections providing access from eastbound Route 50 to 10^th Street and Courthouse Road
• Ramps providing access from westbound Route 50 to 10^th Street and Courthouse Road
• A signalized “T” intersection providing access from both directions of Fairfax Drive to the Courthouse Road ramp
• A bicycle trail added eastbound on Arlington Boulevard from Pershing Drive to Rolfe Street, and relocating and extending the westbound trail under the 10^th Street bridge

The project also features a public art component consisting of custom-designed concrete panels and LED back-illuminated, patterned metal grillwork designed by artist Vicki Scuri, working with the Arlington Cultural Affairs Public Art program.

 

A “pardon our dust” meeting for the local community will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3 at the Arlington County Boardroom at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard.

 

Flippo Construction Co., Inc. is the contractor for the project. More information on the project, including renderings, detailed traffic data and detour maps, is available at the project page on VDOT’s website here.