The project transformed Route 50 through Aldie from a highway feel to a village street, similar to the traffic-calming project completed several years ago in Upperville. Drivers approaching Aldie on Route 50 are now transitioned to the town speed limit with landscaping, sidewalks, and raised crosswalks in the Village area. A series of attractive spaced pavers also gain drivers’ attention to slow down. At the entrance to the Village, the speed limit changes to 25 mph.
Other 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 enclosed a deep roadside ditch with a storm sewer system.
The materials used for the sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, and raised intersections were each 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. VDOT reports that the multi-million dollar project was completed on time and on budget.
Aldie is the third traffic-calming project to be completed 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 the intersection with roundabouts, was completed in 2009.
More photos and details on the projects are available on VDOT’s Route 50 traffic-calming project pages and at www.Route50.org.
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