Virginia Department of Transportation engineers have undertaken an in-house study of the Springvale Road bridge over the Piney Run creek north of Route 7, which is currently a one-lane crossing. Although funding for the project has not been identified yet, the condition of the bridge has deteriorated, and VDOT is proactively planning for its replacement.
The engineers have advised that while it is early in the design process, a two-lane bridge may be proposed, as it is not VTOD’s practice to build one-lane bridges unless the annual average daily traffic count (AADT) is 400 vehicles or less. According to VDOT’s 2019 Traffic Data, Springvale Road had an AADT of 4,700 between Routes 7 and 193 with an average annual weekday traffic count (AAWDT) of 5,100. These daily averages are obviously many times higher than VTOD’s benchmark for building a one-lane bridge, and since that study is a year old It is possible that these usage levels are now even higher because drivers are choosing to use local Great Falls roads during the Leesburg Pike construction. Given the cost to replace the bridge as well as the lengthy process involved, VDOT will also be taking this traffic growth on Springvale Road into consideration on the choice of one-lane vs. two-lanes.
The Transportation Committee, Great Falls Citizens Association, has provided feedback to VDOT and will be reviewing the final recommendation. The committee did not support replacing the bridge when a higher and longer span had been proposed several years ago. While some residents have advocated for a two-lane bridge since that time, others have been concerned that a wider bridge will encourage more commuters between Maryland and Reston.
If a two-bridge is eventually constructed on Springvale, it is possible that some of the features currently planned for the Hunter Mill Road bridge project, currently under construction, may be employed. One such feature is building a two-lane bridge with lanes as narrow as safely possible, in order to encourage drivers to maintain a lower speed.
VDOT has stated that a public meeting following the completion of the study will be held in Fall 2020, but no date has been announced for that event.