Some were worried about the design. Others were concerned about safety. Some raised environmental issues. Then there were some that just wanted to see it built.
Since it was proffered as part of Miller and Smith’s One Loudoun project, the proposed interchange at Ashburn Village Boulevard and Route 7 has created a number of questions in the minds of Ashburn Village residents, who want to understand exactly what they will be getting.
Tuesday, May 22, representatives of Miller and Smith were at the Ashburn Village board of directors meeting to answer residents’ questions and address their concerns.
"People are concerned about the environment, the aesthetics of our design, traffic safety," William C. May, vice president of Miller and Smith, said. "We presented all the information there is and it was pretty well received."
WHILE THERE ARE no final plans set for the project, May said it will be a spread-diamond interchange. The ramps on the north side of the interchange, going towards Janelia Farm, will be closer to Route 7, while the ramps on the southern side, leading to Ashburn Village, will be longer.
"The longer ramps will accommodate more traffic on that side," May said. Richard Nutwell, president of the board of directors, questioned May as to why it was not being proposed as a traditional cloverleaf design.
"There was not enough land at the intersection and it didn’t meet the criteria for a cloverleaf," Nutwell said.
All interchange designs are predicated by traffic studies and what will work best for the intersection, May said.
At the meeting, some residents were concerned safety issues would be created by drivers moving quickly along the interchange, just to come to a quick stop at the stoplight at Lexington Drive. May said, that while the light will continue to be there for the immediate future, the ultimate plans have the light being removed.
"That intersection is scheduled to be an overpass," he said. "So eventually that will not be an issue."
The project is expected to take approximately two years, May said, with construction slated to begin next spring.
"It will be phased in such a manner to maintain the use of the intersection [throughout construction], until we can transition drivers onto the ramps and continue the final work," he said. May said the final transition of driver typically happens on a weekend, when there are fewer drivers.
FOR MANY RESIDENTS, including Nutwell, the appearance of the interchange has raised apprehension.
"I am trying to focus on the art of the possible design," Nutwell said. "It is in their best interest and in ours to keep aesthetics in mind when designing the interchange."
Nutwell said that while an interchange might meet VDOT standards and get residents into Ashburn Village quicker, he wants to make sure it is something that adds to the community, not detracts from it.
"Five years from now you want to be proud of what it looks like," he said.
Since the interchange was proposed the Ashburn Village board of directors has been working with Miller and Smith, communicating residents’ concerns and their own.
"They’ve been fair," Nutwell said. "There’s been a good report. It is better to work with them on the aesthetics to make our front door appealing to people as they drive by."
May said the project is not far along enough to be able to definitively answer questions about the aesthetics, but added that Miller and Smith will be keeping residents’ concerns in mind as it moves forward.
EVEN WITH concerns, the process of working on the interchange has been constructive, with little negativity from residents.
"There’s always people who question change, but overall it’s positive," May said. "This is definitely going to make traveling on Route 7 better and easier."
"As we move forward we will continue to work with [Miller and Smith] in the same manner," Nutwell said. "We want to stay as modern as we can and we have the opportunity to maybe make our front door look even better."