Bridge out ahead

The commute home for some Culpeper residents who work in Washington, D.C. could get a bit complicated next weekend.

The Virginia Department of Transportation wants to alert Culpeper motorists who travel toward Northern Virginia via U.S. 29 about road closures on three separate weekends over the next six weeks.

The southbound lanes in western Prince William County will be closed to traffic to allow crews to install a new deck on the bridge over Broad Run at Buckland.

The $2.9 million bridge replacement project is located about a half-mile south of Route 15, near the Fauquier line.

VDOT Spokesman Lou Hatter, of the Culpeper District, said motorists should expect the detour to add about 20 to 30 minutes to their travel time.
Northbound traffic on U.S. 29 should not be affected by the bridge work, according to Hatter.

The first closure will begin Friday from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Aug. 11. The following detours are also scheduled for Aug. 22 to 25 and Sept. 5 to 8.

Southbound motorists in cars — during the bridgework — are asked to use Route 15 north to Route 55 west to Beverly Mill Road (Route 600) to Route 29 south.

Tractor-trailers drivers are being asked to use Route 29 south to Route 15 north to Interstate 66 west to Route 17 south to Route 29 south.
The detour for tractor-trailers is longer because those motorists are not allowed to travel on Beverly Mill Road, a two-lane road.

According to Northern Virginia VDOT Spokeswoman Joan Morris, VDOT will re-time traffic signals throughout the corridor to maximize traffic flow, and Prince William County Police and Virginia State
Police will be stationed at key intersection to assist with any traffic issues to keep traffic moving.

This project began in December 2007 and is expected to end this fall.

Rhonda Simmons can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 125 or .