Construction ramps up to replace Hunter Mill Road bridge near Vienna

RestonNow.com September 14, 2022 at 4:48pm

Construction is underway to replace the aging bridge (Photo via VDOT).

Construction is ramping up today (Sept. 14) on the $5.2 million project to replace the one-lane Hunter Mill Road bridge that runs over Colvin Run near Vienna.

A new two-lane bridge where Hunter Mill crosses Colvin Run right near the border of Reston and Vienna is set to replace the nearly five-decade-old, weight-restricted one-lane bridge currently there.

While construction began a year ago, this week marks the beginning of using temporary traffic signals and Driveway Assistance Devices (DADs) in the vicinity of the bridge to allow crews to complete construction on the new bridge. Those will be in place until the new two-lane bridge reopens to traffic in the spring of 2023.

Vienna: Around noon Wed 9/14, temporary traffic signals and Driveway Assistance Devices (DADs) will be activated along Hunter Mill Rd in the area of Colvin Run to allow construction to continue on the new bridge. Sadly, these DADs won't have jokes. More: https://t.co/RnOKQkydae pic.twitter.com/aZACjX6nUw

— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) September 12, 2022

The existing bridge was built in 1974 and is being replaced both because it’s in need of major repairs and to help with traffic, per Mike Murphy with the Virginia Department of Transportation.

“The new bridge will have two lanes, thereby improving traffic flow as traffic in one direction will no longer have to yield to the other when crossing the bridge,” Murphy told FFXnow.

That section of Hunter Mill Road averages about 7,400 vehicles per day.

Beyond a new bridge, there will also be a landscaped median/splitter island and abutments for a new trail bridge over Colvin Run. Fairfax County is responsible for the trail bridge and it’s expected to be built in the future.

The project is costing $5.2 million in total, including $1 million for engineering and $4.2 million for construction. Funding is a mix of federal, state, and county funds with the state contributing about $3.3 million from its State of Good Repair program and the county about $400,00 to the project, per Murphy.

The full VDOT press release on the use of temporary traffic signals and DADs:

Temporary traffic signals on Hunter Mill Road (Route 674) will be activated just north and south of Colvin Run around noon Wednesday, Sept. 14 as part of the Hunter Mill Road over Colvin Run bridge project, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

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