Bridge work over Accotink Creek. Photo by Mike Salmon.
Springfield — Motorists on the Fairfax County Parkway in Springfield might have seen the dreaded orange traffic cones and temporary lane configurations as they crossed over Accotink Creek due to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) median project to connect guardrail barriers on the bridge over this historic creek.
According to VDOT, there was a safety study in 2010, and from the study, guardrails and cable barriers were installed for safety reasons, connecting the guardrail barrier on either end of the bridge via a concrete “Jersey” barrier. The barrier will have a standard 2’8” height. The portion over the bridge was not covered, and now crews are going back to properly anchor the concrete barriers to the bridge deck, VDOT said.
This requires daytime work on this site, and lane shifts that impact the speed of traffic in this area, which is just south of the Rolling Road exit. According to VDOT, the bridge averages 45,000 vehicles a day. At the start of construction, eastbound and westbound traffic was shifted to the right along the bridge to create the work zone in the center. Monday through Thursday, lanes are closed from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again overnight between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. On Fridays, the lanes are closed from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The $967,000 project is being financed with state and federal funding and is expected to be completed this fall. The contractor is Mid Atlantic Infrastructure, based in Durham, N.C.