$7.2 Million Traffic Calming Project Breaks Ground in Aldie

Congressman Frank Wolf, the Route 50 Task Force and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) broke ground this past Friday morning, Oct. 7, on a $7.2 million traffic calming project for the village of Aldie, located between Middleburg and Gilberts Corner in Loudoun County.

When completed in December 2012, Route 50 in Aldie will be transformed from a through highway to a village street, similar to the traffic calming project completed in Upperville.

Drivers approaching Aldie will be transitioned to the town speed limit with landscaping, sidewalks, and raised crosswalks and intersections in the village area. A series of pavers will be spaced to get drivers' attention. At the entrance to the village, the speed limit changes to 25 mph.

Traffic calming measures within Aldie include raised intersections, tree-planted medians, varying paving materials to indicate parking, walking, and driving areas, strategically placed greenery along the streets, and safer pedestrian walkways.

Drainage improvements will enclose a deep roadside ditch with a storm sewer system.

The materials used for the sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, and raised intersections have been chosen to complement the historic and rural nature of the community.

The $7.2 million price tag includes $2.1 million for design, $300,000 for right of way acquisition and $4.8 million for construction.

This is the third traffic calming project on the rural Route 50 corridor in Fauquier and Loudoun counties designed to slow traffic, improve safety for pedestrians and motorists, and help preserve the historic and rural nature of the corridor.

The $7.8 million Upperville traffic calming project was completed in fall 2008, and the $16.1 million Gilberts Corner project, which replaced intersection with roundabouts, was completed in 2009. More information on the projects is available at www.Route50.org and www.VirginiaDOT.org.