GAINESVILLE, Va. — Remember a few weeks back when we told you to avoid Gainesville like the plague? Tonight, you’ll want to heed that warning.
Construction crews will close all but one lane in each direction on U.S. 29 and Linton Hall Road. It’s a busy intersection near Interstate 66 that draws not only cars and trucks, but it also has a busy street-level railroad crossing.
The reason for the roadwork is actually about the railroad as crews are working to shift traffic on U.S. 29 to a new bridge that will carry vehicles over the street level crossing, which has been the site of several vehicle vs. train collisions over the years.
The work will break down like this:
From 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 until noon Sunday, Aug. 25, only one lane in each direction will be open on Route 29 and Linton Hall Road and some turning movements will be restricted.
Motorists can avoid delays of up to an hour through Gainesville by using I-66 and Route 15.
In order to switch traffic, crews need to construct a tie-in to the new bridge and pave and stripe the area. Police will be on the scene to assist with traffic control.
Originally, the Virginia Department of Transportation scheduled the traffic shift last weekend but a Jimmy Buffett concert at nearby Jiffy Lube Live, and the traffic it would bring, prompted officials think better of their decision and postpone the work to this weekend.
This work is apart of a project that began in the early part of the last decade, as crews began widening a portion of I-66 to eight lanes between Va. 234 (Sudley Road) to Va. 234 Bypass (Prince William Parkway), which was completed in 2006.
Another leg of the project, a 4-lane University Boulevard in Gainesville, also opened in 2006. Subsequent work also included widening I-66 from Va. 234 Bypass to U.S. 29, as well as improving the interchange at U.S. 29 and I-66.
A congested area, Gainesville is a magnet for shoppers, and serves as a gateway to Charlottesville and other portions of Virginia for traveling by way of U.S. 29.
