(Updated at 1:42 p.m.) A portion of the W&OD Trail was shut down this morning after workers struck and ruptured a six-inch gas line there.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials said the trail was shut down near the 12100 block of Sunset Hills Road around 9:15 a.m. this morning.
The situation was “under control” shortly after it began, fire officials said. Workers with the gas company stopped the leak around noon today.
“The trail was shut down as a precaution,” said Fairfax Fire and Rescue spokesman Bill Delaney. Â “Everything seemed to be pretty benign.”
The Reston Bicycle Club has gifted Fairfax County with a new automatic bicycle and pedestrian traffic counter for the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in REston
Officials from Fairfax County and the Reston Bicycle Club will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, April 27. The event will be held near the intersection of the W&OD and Old Reston Avenue at 10 a.m.
The counter, valued at $7,000, was purchased to help collect information about pedestrian and bicyclist traffic, Fairfax County officials said.
“The counter provides an opportunity to better document the usage of these modes of transportation, and will support the county’s planning and investment in future bicycle and pedestrian improvements,” said Adam Lind, Fairfax County Bicycle Program Manager.
“We really appreciate this generous donation and look forward to monitoring the growth in bicycle and pedestrian trips for years to come.”
The county is in the process of planning pedestrian and bike improvements for Reston as it morphs into a transit-oriented community. One of those improvements is to take the W&OD over the congested intersection at Wiehle Avenue via a bridge. The plan has been approved but will not open for about five years.
Reston will also welcome Fairfax County’s first bikeshare system later this year.
Graphic courtesy of Fairfax County
Plans for a pedestrian bridge that takes the W&OD Trail over Wiehle Avenue are taking shape.
The bridge will help ease chaos at that intersection, which is where Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue meet and where emergency vehicles continually enter and exit a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Station.
It is also just North of the Wiehle-Reston Metro and its accompanying foot and car traffic. The trail itself is a popular walking, running and biking path.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation now has a timeline. The agency is holding a public meeting March 17, 6:30 p.m. at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods.
The bridge is expected to cost $10 million, said project manager Scott Riffner. The bridge will replace the street crossing and will accommodate both the gravel path and asphalt W&OD Trail. The FCDOT also plans minor roadway, sidewalk and median modifications will be made to Wiehle Avenue to accommodate the bridge and the necessary drainage and stormwater management features.
The project is part of the Third Four-Year Transportation Program that was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2012.
Here is a tentative project schedule:
- Public Hearing, Winter 2016
- Document Completion, Winter 2016
- Public Hearing Design Approval, Spring 2016
- Land Acquisition Completion, Spring 2018
- Final Design Approval, Winter 2018
- Utility Relocation Completion, Summer 2019
- Construction Completion, Winter 2021
Rendering of W&OD Bridge over Wiehle Avenue/Credit: FCDOT
