Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The RFP process will begin this week.
The process to widen Route 1 near Fort Belvoir is moving forward. The Environmental Assessment is complete, and an RFP will be sent to selected contractors this week, according to an update released by Fairfax County. The Finding of No Significant Impact was issued on Nov. 20, Fairfax County BRAC Coordinator Laura Miller told Patch. This document is posted on the Federal Highway Administration Eastern Federal Lands Division website, along with the 4(f) determination and the Section 106 Programmatic Agreement. "Issuance of those documents conclude the environmental planning and compliance phase of the project," Miller told Patch in an email. According to Miller, the RFP that will be sent this week is going to the contractors who were pre-…
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Sept. 25 public hearing nixed for vote taken Tuesday.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the revised bypass option Tuesday for the widening of Route 1 near Fort Belvoir. The board voted on the bypass as an action item, so it was not open for public comment. The Board of Supervisors was originally going to vote on the bypass on Sept. 25, but it was moved to Tuesday in order for the project to proceed on schedule. The alternative bypass option proposed by the Federal Highway Administration, VDOT, Fairfax County, and the Army in August relocates the barn and indoor arena to the same side of the realigned roadway as the pastures. The alternative bypass will also avoid impact to the historic cemetery at Woodlawn Baptist Church. The bypass will widen the road in place …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Consulting parties will deliver presentation at Thursday night's meeting.
The Federal Highway Administration and the Fairfax County BRAC coordinator will be on hand to answer resident questions Thursday at a meeting of the Fairfax County Architectural Review Board, as officials continue to weigh options for the widening of Route 1. Jack Van Dop, a senior technical specialist with the FHWA and Fairfax County BRAC coordinator Laura Miller will give a presentation starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday that offers an overview on the project and gives the county review board an opportunity to ask questions, ARB staff member Linda Blank said. The presentation is the final item on the agenda and is a shortened version of the FHWA consulting parties meeting presentation from July 31. In July, the Pentagon released $180 …
Friday, August 31, 2012
The current lease is set to expire in 2016.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced Friday that it would not renew Woodlawn Stables' current lease. The Federal Highway Administration is now considering two options for widening Route 1 near Fort Belvoir. Both options would have an impact on Woodlawn Stables and historic land. Woodlawn Stables' lease is set to expire in 2016; its owners and grassroots group Save Woodlawn Stables have asked the Trust to extend the current lease beyond 2016. “The National Trust’s primary focus is to preserve the National Historic Landmark and to support the long-term sustainability of our historic sites, including Woodlawn and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House," said David J. Brown, executive vice president and chief preservation …
Friday, August 17, 2012
Alternative widening option is a result of public comments.
The Federal Highway Administration has offered an alternative Route 1 bypass proposal that would preserve more acreage at Woodlawn Stables and build new barns, and mitigate impact to the historic cemetery at Woodlawn Baptist Church. This decision comes after a well-attended public meeting in June and public comment period that ended early last month. The public comment period generated nearly 300 comments that support preserving Woodlawn Stables and the historic cemetery. The FHWA was recently awarded $180 million for Route 1 widening improvements near Fort Belvoir. "It's a big deal in the sense that the FHWA would not normally do that," Save Woodlawn Stables cofounder Shelley Castle said. "It's a good response to the public." The …
More than 280 residents submitted comments to the FHWA.
The majority of residents prefer the widen-in-place option for Route 1, according to public comments submitted to the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA hosted a public meeting at Hayfield High School in June to kick off the public comment period where residents could submit feedback about Route 1 widening options. Three options were up for consideration: no-action; widening Route 1 in place; or a southeast bypass that winds behind Woodlawn Stables. The FHWA received comments from 281 people. The widening-in-place option received support from many organizations, including the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce, Mount Vernon Civic Coalition, and local legislators including Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland, Congressman …
Thursday, August 2, 2012
A look at improving Route 1 near Fort Belvoir.
The other day, I came across an article about the widening of Route 1 in Woodbridge. Between that and the coming federally-funded widening through Fort Belvoir, I often get queries from constituents who want to know why Route 1 is being improved there, but not between Woodlawn and the Beltway. There are two reasons – planning and money. Before a road can be widened there are a series of required studies that lay the groundwork for construction. In our community, that process was started back in 1991 by Senator Toddy Puller who passed multiple resolutions through the General Assembly to initiate the planning process. That process was called the Route 1 Centerline Study - an effort to set the general configuration of Route 1 from …
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Telegraph Road will be closed to install a sanitary sewer line.
Telegraph Road will be closed this weekend due to work related to the construction of Mulligan Road. Telegraph Road will be closed at Piney Run starting at 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday to install a sanitary sewer line. Signs will be set up to direct motorists to a detour. Mulligan Road construction has been steadily progressing over the last few weeks. This week has seen asphalt paving work on Mulligan Road and waterline relocation work at the Pole Road, Old Mill Road and Mulligan Road intersection. Clearing and grubbing work at Woodlawn Plantation and the Friends Meeting House is scheduled to begin on Monday. Paving work on Mulligan Road will continue on Saturday, weather permitting. This work is not expected to cause road closures…
Monday, July 2, 2012
Comments must be submitted by Friday.
Public comments regarding the Route 1 widening plans are due to the Federal Highway Administration on July 6. The three widening options — widen-in-place, southern bypass, and no-action — were discussed at a public hearing at Hayfield High School in early June. Hundreds of concerned residents attended the hearing to voice their concerns about the options. The widening options will affect a historic cemetery at Woodlawn Baptist Church and the day-to-day operations of Woodlawn Stables. Comments may be submitted via the Eastern Federal Lands website.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Co-founder of local grassroots organization invites the National Trust to listen to the community and find a solution.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Dear Editor: After such a long silence before the public and press, many members of the community are glad to finally see the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s explanation of their support for the bypass option in their letter that was printed in the Mount Vernon Patch on June 19. Fellow preservationists, consulting parties and the community have been puzzled by their unusual position to support the construction of an elevated, six-lane highway that would divide and destroy Woodlawn’s historic property. However, the letter by the National Trust leaves us more deeply concerned about how the Trust envisions their stewardship role at Woodlawn. Though the offer to sell the southern 54 acres seems genuine, it is contradicted by legal …
Doug White
3:34 pm on Thursday, April 25, 2013
I will move some in May. 2013 to other parts of local Accotink watershed. Im sure Native Americans used this patch as it is right on the old foot path and near some known settlements in area. more ›