The paving of Lawyers Road in Reston is now scheduled. The following information was provided by Randy Dittberner at VDOT:
The contractor is scheduled to start paving the narrow section of Lawyers, west of Hunter Mill Road, on July 27. The road-diet segment, east of Reston Parkway, is scheduled for the following week, to begin about Aug. 3. These dates may change if bad weather intervenes.
The contractor was authorized to work 24 hours a day in the wide section of Lawyers. This is great news, because it will substantially shorten the duration of the project. The contractor estimates that paving in the road-diet section can be completed in about 3 days, with an additional day for striping. We had been anticipating construction impacts for a couple of weeks, so this shorter schedule will reduce the impacts to nearby residents and travelers on Lawyers. It will also reduce impacts on Sunday that would affect St. John Neumann traffic. In addition, the contractor can provide a smoother surface because there will be fewer joints where one day's paving meets the next.
The noisiest operation, milling up the old pavement, is not permitted at night, but paving itself is permitted around the clock
Traffic will be maintained in both directions continuously during paving in the road-diet section. There may be minor delays during some peak periods, but they should not be excessive because at least one lane will be open in both directions, and traffic in the summer is usually less than other times of year. Nevertheless, travelers should allow a little extra time for their trips, be alert for equipment and workers in the roadway, and be prepared for temporary traffic controls that change on a daily basis.
Paving of the wide section will be completed in its entirety before any striping is put in place. This will help to minimize any confusion about the new lane configuration during construction. Portable variable message signs are scheduled to be deployed on about July 21 to alert travelers to the upcoming change.
During construction, the two traffic signals on Lawyers (at Soapstone and Steeplechase) will be not quite as responsive as usual to traffic on the side streets. This is because the loop detectors in the pavement on Lawyers need to be shifted to new locations to align with the new lanes. The detectors will be out of service for a few days during construction, but after this work is complete, the signals will be back to normal.
Click here to view an illustration of the lane changes.
The following map illustrates the road-diet section where lane changes will take place. VDOT plans to reduce the 4 lane section of Lawyers Road between Reston Parkway and Myrtle Lane from 4 motor vehicle lanes to 3 motor vehicle lanes and create 2 bicycle lanes. The center motor vehicle lane would be used for left turns.