As motorists may have noticed, work on the Longhill Road Widening Project is coming along – construction is estimated to be complete in fall of 2021.
According to VDOT, the project will widen Longhill Road from two lanes to a four-lane divided highway, from just east of Williamsburg West Drive, through the Olde Towne Road/Devon Road intersection, and up to Glenburnie Road, and will also incorporate traffic signal system improvements and optimization.
A landscaped roundabout will also be constructed on Longhill Road at Williamsburg Plantation Drive that will allow drivers to enter and exit the adjacent locations in a safer and more efficient manner, without delaying traffic on Longhill.
In addition to traffic improvements, the project will also enhance bicycle, pedestrian and bus accommodations through the addition of a 10-foot shared-use path on the north side of the roadway, crosswalks and pedestrian push buttons, as well as bicycle accessibility with the outside lane having extra width to accommodate cyclists, VDOT officials said.
Upcoming work, traffic impact:
- Installation of storm drain structures are underway, with some night work and traffic impacts anticipated starting as early as the first week of February, according to VDOT. Due to a section of storm sewer needing to be installed across the roadway, this work will be done in the overnight hours to reduce impacts to traffic during the heavier daytime hours. This installation work is scheduled to begin as early as Monday, Feb. 3, during which motorists can expect alternating single-lane closures northbound and southbound between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- As part of the project, two stormwater management basins will also be constructed along Longhill Road, with one at the corner of the Devon Road intersection and the other just east Williamsburg West Drive towards Route 199. These basins are used to slow and treat on-site stormwater runoff. Construction crews are anticipated to begin work on the basin near Williamsburg West as early as the first week of February.
- To help maintain pedestrian accessibility throughout construction, contractor crews are currently installing a temporary sidewalk running along the north side of Longhill Road between the shopping center on Olde Towne Road and The Regency at Longhill at Lane Place Drive. The temporary sidewalks will remain in place throughout this phase of the project as road widening–followed by the construction of a new sidewalk–are underway.
- In February, construction activity will continue to move forward at the Longhill Road intersections at Williamsburg Plantation Drive and Williamsburg West Drive/Lane Place Drive. Temporary traffic signal installation has been completed at the Williamsburg West Drive/Lane Place Drive intersection, and temporary asphalt placement will continue in the median at the entrances of Williamsburg Plantation and The Regency at Longhill to accommodate traffic entering and exiting during the first phases of road widening activities.
RELATED STORY: Heads up: Construction on Longhill Road begins Thursday
