News and notes from Reston (tm).

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Soapstone Bridge Over Toll Road To Be Considered in 2012, Give or Take a Few Decades

the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai1.jpgThe idea of extending Soapstone Road across the Toll Road to help alleviate congestion once the Wiehle Avenue Metro station is built has taken a tentative step forward. In a recent interview, Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said that a Soapstone crossing study is planned for 2012, suggesting at least a concrete start date for a process that could ultimately culminate in a bridge. Of course, this is from the county that took longer than this blog has been in existence to figure out how to pay for a sidewalk along the existing stretch of Soapstone (now slated to happen sometime in 2013), so we're not exactly holding our breath.

The idea of more Toll Road crossings is going to be critical as development and bollardy goodness come to Reston. Even the fancypants Reston Master Plan Task Force With the Unprononceable Acronym (∞), which hasn't exactly been resistant to the idea of a fanciful bollard or thousand, has argued that development a half-mile or more from the Wiehle Metro station shouldn't happen until said bridges are built. Given some major developers' somewhat questionable desire to be good stewards to date, we think it's safe to say that the bridge can't get built soon enough.

At one point, the Reston Citizens Association asked the airports authority to look into building such bridges, but they've got other problems on their hands. Anyone out there good with power tools or have a few extra 2x4s lying around?

On the bright side, the fancy "road diet" on the existing stretch of Soapstone is now slated to begin being phased in this weekend. So we may be stuck in traffic, but at least we'll be able to peel off into the dedicated suicide 7-11 turn lane and grab a Slurpee at speeds approaching Mach 3, the end.

7 comments:

  1. Mach 3 only? We're talking about throngs of pimply faced, hormone crazed, teenagers with newly minted licenses and Mommy-and-Daddy's "grocery getter" spilling out of SLHS after a full-day of IB classes. And, heaven forbid, there should be even a glimpse of buxom young nubians in the line of sight of said drivers. I dare say, these suicide lanes are going to be responsible for more than one lost license.

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  2. Hmmmm. Straight across from Soapstone the bridge would come out around Hunter Lab. Across Sunset Hills from the Ebola Reston school.

    But if we followed the left (for Plum/Hudgins) fork of Association Drive we could connect it into the back of Plaza America's parking lot. Wouldn't that be fun?

    Better still, don't connect it. leave an upturned ramp and let folks leap onto Sunset like Sandra Bullock and the bus.

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  3. Bo and Luke! The Old Soapstone Bridge is out!

    YEEEEHHAAAAA!

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  4. Look like those Duke boys are in a heap o' trouble with the DRB.

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  5. Regrettably Convict is correct. It would be only hopeful wishing that Reston's helicopter parents would have their little miracles bike or walk to school instead of drive themselves. Wishful thinking.

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  6. Plenty of Reston's young-ins walk to SLHS. You can see their cigarette butts and 7-11 hot dog containers strewn all along the trails leading from Soapstone to the high school.

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  7. Another Hudgins masterpiece. I bet than when the overpass gets built they need to "undo" the "diet"... and waste more taxpayer money. The county should start selling all the real estate property they own. They are supposed to play "government", not "monopoly".

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