As of Tuesday night the Route 1 interchange at the Capital Beltway went dark. Motorists will have to rely on their headlights reflecting off upgraded pavement marking to avoid driving off the road.
That's what Virginia Department of Transportation representatives revealed at the July 20 meeting of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Neighborhood Task Force Meeting. "Lighting will be shut down as of tonight [July 20] and high level lighting will not be operative until the fall," said Norine Walker of Potomac Crossing Consultants.
The reason given for the blackout was that the Dominion Virginia Power transformer which services that section of roadway is down due to interchange construction, according to Ronaldo "Nick" Nicholson, WWB project manager. "Any temporary lighting in that area will be low lighting," he said.
"Temporary lighting is a responsibility of Virginia Power. VDOT, as a rule, does not put in low lighting. But, headlights should illuminate the upgraded road marking enough for motorists. We have used this in many other construction areas, including the Springfield Interchange, with no problem," Nicholson said.
Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille, who serves as co-chair of the Task Force along with City Councilman Andrew H. Macdonald, asked Nicholson, "How can they (VDOT) do things like this? This is supposed to be a safe highway department. People could be getting killed by running off the road there. It's a very dangerous site."
Nicholson assured Euille and Task Force members that high level lighting will be operative by the fall. "We have already increased the police presence in the area to make sure that motorists reduce their speed," he said.
Euille suggested that VDOT representatives meet with Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES) personnel immediately to explore temporary solutions. "We will do that tomorrow," Walker said.
IN ANOTHER LIGHTING dispute, residents of Hunting Point and Porto Vecchio questioned the analysis of consultants studying the lighting proposed for their area. Residents challenged the conclusion that the proposed lighting fixtures would not impact their residences.
"The fixtures will conform to those suggested by the National Park Service and will throw the light downward onto the pavement. There will be only slight reflection on the buildings," said Reed Winslow, T&ES liaison to the WWB Project.
Once again, one of the major concerns discussed by the Task Force was the future development and uses of Jones Point Park. Winslow reviewed the various proposals presented at the joint Task Force/Jones Point Park Stakeholders meeting held in June.
Nicholson pointed out that the only elements that have changed in the plan, as approved by City Council, were parking and vehicle access due to federal government concerns about terrorist threats to the new bridge as a result of 9/11. All the proposals discussed at the June meeting centered on those two items.
WWB Project planners intend to submit their suggested proposal to the city next month on which of the plans they would recommend. "I promised in June that the plans would not be considered by council until 2005 and I plan to stick to that," Euille said. He also agreed to devote the entire September Task Force meeting to Jones Point Park.
SINCE THE START of the WWB Project, one of the major concerns has been the creation of the Freeman's Cemetery Memorial Park at the intersection of South Washington and Church streets, presently the site of the Mobil Service Station and Domino's Pizza office building.
The area is known as the location of a slave cemetery established prior to and during the Civil War. It is believed that as many as 1,800 graves were located on the plot.
During June, Alexandria Archaeology undertook excavation of designated areas at the Mobil station and Domino's. "The purpose of the testing program was to confirm speculations and meet our obligations for preservation," said Francine Bromberg, city archaeologist, Historic Alexandria.
"We spent a month doing excavation of 14 trenches. We found an incredible number of graves packed in so tight it's hard to believe they were dug separately," Bromberg said. They identified 45 graves in the June dig which brought the total to 123, according to a report submitted to the Task Force.
On the Mobil lot, 35 graves were identified in five trenches, and on the Domino's site 10 graves were located in two trenches. "In most cases where graves were located, there was little fill, and shafts were found only a few inches under the asphalt," the report said.
"The knowledge gained from the testing phases ... will be extremely useful in planning for the demolition of the buildings, the next phase of the archaeological work, and ultimately, the design of the WWB NTF meeting park," it said
"The shallow depth of the cemetery resources under the asphalt will result in modification to the treatment plan to insure continued protection of the burials," the report said. The park will be created upon completion of the bridge project.