Route 9
(Updated August 2008)
Alliance Position:
Preserve right-of-way to allow for future relocation of Route 9 west of Hillsboro on new limited access corridor running south and connecting to Route 7 at Purcellville.
Current Status:
Traffic modeling done by Consultants hired by the County as part of its Countywide Transportation Plan update showed that re-locating Route 9 provided dramatic improvements in congestion, travel speeds and safety.
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors response was to vote to delete and strike any reference to this option in the Countywide Plan. At this point, the most likely course for the Countywide Plan will be consideration by the County Planning Commission in early 2009 with Board consideration in the fall of 2009.
Background:
In 2005, the average daily 24-hour traffic volume (ADT) for Route 9 from Harpers Ferry Road to Hillsboro was 16,000. By 2011, it’s forecasted to be 21,000. That much traffic will ruin Hillsboro, turning the only street in town into a clogged commuting nightmare and making it increasingly difficult for residents living along Route 9 to safely exit their driveways.
West Virginia has plans to widen its portion of Rt. 9 to four lanes to the Loudoun County line within five years. Congestion, as a result, is expected to worsen on Loudoun’s two-lane segment. Traffic engineers warn that Loudoun’s Rt. 9 reaches failing congestion levels at 18,000 to 19,000 trips per day, a threshold that is quickly being met.
Hillsboro residents should not be forced to endure thousands of commuters and commuters should not be forced to endure hours of traffic each day as a result of poor planning. Widening the existing road would destroy the historic town and a bypass would only move the traffic around Hillsboro without alleviating any congestion on either side of the town.
The importance of preserving the right-of-way for this realignment is obvious. The longer the Commonwealth and County wait the more costly it will become to acquire the right-of-way when the conditions to move the project forward are realized. Protecting a line on the map is the essential first step.
Project Details:
The most obvious and logical solution is to relocate the road west of Hillsboro with a limited access connection to Purcellville at Rt. 7. This will result in safer travel conditions and greater capacity as well as preserving the integrity of a historic Virginia town.
To view a map of this project (#11) and other proposed Alliance “Missing Transportation Links” priorities, click here.
