Part of Hunter Mill Road bridge over Colvin Run set to open tomorrow

A portion of the new Hunter Mill Road bridge over Colvin Run near Vienna is expected to open for traffic this week.

Vehicles will shift onto one lane of the new bridge between Crowell Road (Route 675) and Cobble Mill Road starting around 2 p.m. tomorrow (Friday), the Virginia Department of Transportation announced yesterday.

“One lane of alternating traffic will travel across the newly constructed portion of the bridge while the existing bridge is demolished and the remaining portion of the new bridge is built,” VDOT said in the news release. “The alternating traffic will continue to be controlled by temporary signals.”

The traffic change had initially been anticipated on Wednesday, Dec. 21, but warnings of gnarly winter weather led VDOT to postpone the date. Tomorrow’s opening is dependent on weather as well.

Update: This is now scheduled for Fri 12/30 at 2PM. https://t.co/wsExiAvlq0

— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) December 28, 2022

Expected to finish this coming spring, the Colvin Run bridge project is replacing a one-lane structure that was originally built in 1974 and could only hold up to 10 tons.

The new bridge will consist of two travel lanes separated by a median and abutments to set the stage for a trail crossing to the south, though the trail bridge will be built “at a future date” by Fairfax County.

Construction on the bridge replacement began in August 2021. Work ramped up this past September with the addition of some temporary traffic signals and Driveway Assistance Devices (DADs) to help manage thru, residential and construction traffic on the one-lane bridge.

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