public information meeting: realignment of old courthouse road at besley road

County of Fairfax, Virginia

Department of Transportation

Public Information Meeting

Realignment of Old Courthouse Road @ Besley Road

Wolftrap Elementary SchoolMay 31, 2016


Department of Transportation 2

List of Staff Members • Fairfax County Department of Transportation

– Tom Biesiadny, Director– W. Todd Minnix, Chief, Transportation Design Division– James Beall, Section Chief, TDD– Seyed Nabavi, Project Manager– Chris Wells, Pedestrian Coordinator– Vanessa Aguayo, Project Coordinator

• Parsons Transportation Group– Krishna Potturi, Project Manager– Greg Relyea, Project Engineer– Bryon Johnston, Sr. Communication Specialist

• Virginia Department of Transportation– Randy Dittberner, Regional Traffic Engineer



Location Map



Project Purpose and Goals

• Spot Improvement Project

– Eliminate flooding of the roadway by raising the roadway and providing a structure that can accommodate the 25 year storm.

– Improving roadway safety for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists by providing VDOT standard design criteria.



Last Meeting Comments and Concerns

• Speeding/Accidents• Safe Pedestrian Crossing• Pedestrian Access• Intersecting Roadways/Driveway Sight Distances• Aesthetics• Right of Way Impacts • Stream/Environmental Impacts• Maintenance of Traffic During Construction



Speeding/Accidents

• The design Speed has been reduced to the posted speed limit of 25 mph.

• The sub-standard s-curve has been redesigned to meet current VDOT design criteria for a 25 mph curve.

• The Project has kept the S shape curve to reduce operating speeds.



Speeding/Accidents

• Project has introduced a pedestrian refuge island which acts as a traffic calming measure as well as increasing safety of pedestrians and bicyclists attempting to cross Old Courthouse Road.



Safe Pedestrian Crossing

• A Pedestrian Refuge Island is added to the project.

• The crossing location will be at the intersection of Proffit Road where it provides the best sight distance for pedestrians and drivers.



Pedestrian Access• A 5 foot wide concrete sidewalk has been added to the north side of the roadway.

• A 10’ wide Asphalt shared use path is located on the south side of the roadway.



Intersection/Driveway Sight Distances

• The required sight distance for 25 mph design speed is 240 feet.

• Project is providing more than 240 feet of sight distance for all driveways and intersections “within the project limit”.



Aesthetics

• Bridge fascia treatments can be provided during construction.



Aesthetics



Typical Section


Conceptual Design


Conceptual Profile



Stormwater Management Design Old Courthouse Road:Watershed Difficult Run WatershedHydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 020700081004Floodplain Zone A (area subject to inundation by

1% annual chance flood event) Design Storm 25 Year Storm

The project will be designed as a closed system. Inlets/Manholes will be provided to capture stormwater runoff within the limits of the project. Ditches will be eliminated.

No Stormwater Management facility is allowed in the floodplain.

Nutrient Credits will be purchased to meet the water quality criteria and requirements.



Environmental Inventory• Project is locally funded. • Phase 1 Cultural Resources Survey is under review

by FCPA Cultural Resource Management and Protection Division.

• Wetland Mitigation Needed – Wetland delineation is complete. (shown on plan)

• Stream Mitigation Needed • The following reports have been submitted to the

Army Corps of Engineers (ACE)– Preliminary Environmental report– Threatened and Endangered Species Habitat Survey

report– Wetland delineation report



Maintenance of Traffic During Construction



Detour Plan For Besley Road

The access to Besley Road will be closed for about 6-9 months.Travel time = 5 mins



Project Cost & Schedule

Schedule: Design Completion Feb 2019 Land Acquisition and Utility Relocation Mar 2018 – Mar 2019Construction June 2019 – September 2020



Questions/Answers Session



Comment 1: Project Premise and Solution

• The roadway is owned and maintained by VDOT and not the County. As such any changes to the horizontal or vertical alignment of the roadway has to meet current VDOT design criteria.

• The roadway drainage will be designed as a closed system with curb & gutter and inlets collecting water and routing it to the outfall/stream.

• The roadway is to be upgraded to the latest VDOT design standards.



Comment 2: Project Funding

• At this time the project is estimated $2M more than the initial funding estimate. By the time of construction a more accurate estimate will be developed and necessary funding will be allocated to construct the project.

• If there are any changes to the scope, Fairfax County DOT will present the new scope to the community before moving forward with design and/or construction.



Comment 3: Old Couthouse Road as a major access road to/from Tysons Corner

• Old Courthouse Road is designated as an “Urban Minor Arterial” Roadway. While the area is residential and has a more rural atmosphere, the roadway designation is set by VDOT. – Note: Fairfax County is designated by VDOT as “Urban”.

• The Roadway is designed in accordance with latest VDOT standards for an Urban Minor Arterial.



Comment 4: Bicycle Path to No-where

• The on-road bike lanes in the interim will be marked as a shoulder until the rest of the facility is built on the Old Courthouse Road.

• Bicycles can use shoulders.

• Once the project is complete, no widening is anticipated in this segment.



Comment 5: Eliminate Straightening of the Road

• When a road is reconstructed, it has to comply with the latest design standards and be safe for all modes of transportation.

• We have maintained an S shape curve to the extent possible that meets the requirements for a 25 mph design speed.

• A roundabout will have a larger footprint and will have more impact to adjacent properties and the environment. Typically, they are designed at 4 or more legged intersections with heavy turning movements. There is no engineering value in proposing a roundabout.



Comment 6: Storm Drainage Improvements• A low head pipe under the road would not solve the

flooding problem and does not meet the VDOT requirements. The existing 46” x 66” horizontal elliptical corrugated metal pipe is inadequate.

• To satisfy VDOT criteria for Urban Minor Arterial, the proposed crossing is designed to pass the 25‐year design storm with 18 inches of freeboard relative to the road shoulder.



Comment 6: Storm Drainage Improvements

• A Hydrology & Hydraulic Analysis Study is ongoing that must be reviewed and approved by the County’s Floodplain Manager, the US Army Corps, and FEMA if necessary.

• We are attempting to design the roadway such that a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) of the floodplain would not be required by FEMA.



Comment 7: Access to Old Courthouse Road• The access to Besley Road will be closed for about 6-9

months. The closure is due to the difference between the existing and proposed grades. (See Detour Plan)

• Besley Road traffic will be detoured via Boise Avenue, Gelding Lane to Arabian Avenue or Trap Road during the closure period.

• Old Courthouse Road will remain open to traffic during construction. Periodic temporary lane closures, utilizing flagmen, will be required.



Comment 8: Traffic control and schedule during construction

• Phase 1: Traffic to be maintained on existing roadway. Construct temporary pavement northside of existing Old Courthouse Road.

• Phase 2: Shift Traffic to newly constructed temporary pavement on northside. Construct southside widening to the new profile. Construct temporary pavement.

• Phase 3: Construct crossovers to connect temporary pavement to existing Old Courthouse Road.



Comment 8: Traffic control and schedule during construction

• Phase 4: Shift Traffic to newly constructed temporary pavement on the southside. Construct finished grade of northside of proposed Old Courthouse Road.

• Phase 5: Shift traffic to northside finished grade. Remove any remaining temporary pavement, construct final curb and gutter, sidewalk, shared use path, and pedestrian refuge Island. Add final layer finished grade asphalt, install signs, pavement marking, and seed finished grade



Comment 9: Erosion Control• The project will be designed to satisfy all Virginia

Department of Environmental Quality , VDOT and County requirements. Sufficient erosion and sediment control will be set in place to prevent impacting the stream and Chesapeake Bay.

• We have completed wetland delineation and the report has been submitted to ACE for review. A Jurisdictional Determination meeting is being scheduled.



Comment 9: Erosion Control• Project will require a permit for the ACE for wetland

and stream impacts. FCDOT will comply with all permit requirements.



Comment 10: Environmental Study and Documentation

• The environmental inventory documentation has been submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers.

• The environmental inventory will be available to the public once it has been finalized.

public information meeting: realignment of old courthouse road at besley road

News & Politics