LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – Beginning April 3, motorists on Route 15 in Loudoun County will be detoured around the intersection at Route 50 (Gilbert’s Corner), as the Virginia Department of Transportation continues to build four roundabouts along the two corridors. The shift will last approximately eight weeks, and is expected to add five minutes to non-rush-hour trips and up to ten minutes to rush-hour commutes.

Route 15 will be closed between Route 50 and the newly built connector road (Howsers Branch Drive), about a quarter-mile south of Gilbert’s Corner. Motorists will detour using Howsers Branch Drive and a new roundabout on Route 50. Additional detours are planned for Route 50 and Watson Road over the next several months to complete construction on the roundabouts. VDOT will keep the public informed well in advance of those detours.

The roundabouts at Gilbert’s Corner are an effort to improve safety and slow traffic along Routes 50 and 15. Roundabouts are being constructed at Gilbert’s Corner, Route 50 and Watson Road, and at either end of the newly built Howsers Branch Drive. The direct link Howsers Branch Drive creates between Routes 50 and 15 will allow traffic on northbound Route 15 and westbound Route 50 to bypass Gilbert's Corner.

This $15.8 million project is scheduled to be complete in late 2009. Under a design-build contract with The Lane Construction Corporation and Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., design and construction are being closely coordinated to reduce the project’s cost and duration.

Gilbert’s Corner is the second of three Route 50 traffic-calming projects along a 20-mile corridor from Paris in Fauquier County to Lenah in Loudoun County. Improvements in Upperville were finished in October 2008, and a project in Aldie is expected to begin construction in spring 2010.

Roundabouts are considered one of the safest types of intersection, moving traffic while reducing crashes, delays, fuel consumption, air pollution, and maintenance costs. More information on Virginia roundabouts, including an instructional video and printable brochure are available here. Gilbert’s Corner project information is available here and at www.Route50.org.

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Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.

Page last modified: April 8, 2009