Traffic study complete for proposed Kaiser South medical hub

WOODBRIDGE — If Kaiser Permanente builds a new medical campus, its patients are sure to follow.

The 335,000 square feet Kaiser South Northern Virginia Hub campus would be located on Minnieville Road, east of Caton Hill Road in Woodbridge. A new traffic analysis of the Minnieville and Caton Hill roads in the proposed development area shows about 530 trips to the center would be made during the morning hours and about 580 in the afternoon.

On a Virginia Department of Transportation-rated scale of A being the best and F the worst, the largest nearby intersection at Minneivlle and Caton Hill roads today operates at Level of Service D in the mornings, where there are a lot of cars but drivers can easily maneuver around the intersection. In the afternoons, it’s Level E where conditions are worse.

By 2020, traffic at the intersection will worsen, according to the study, with the intersection operating at Level E during the morning and afternoon peak rush hours, with some lanes operating at Level F. The study takes into account for 2% growth in traffic related to population growth in the area between now and 2020.

The transportation plan calls extending Southern Oak Way to Minniville Road and having it serve as the fourth leg of an intersection that would include the Holly Acres Marine and RV shop entrance. A signal light would be erected at the intersection, and it would operate at Level B during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

A right deceleration lane would be constructed on Minnville Road in front of the medical campus for right-turning drivers entering the campus.

Another signal light is proposed for a back entrance to the property, in front of the Woodbridge DMV, at the intersection of Caton Hill Road and Southern Oak Way. The intersection would operate at Level A in the mornings and B during the afternoons by 2020, according to the study.

Traffic is expected to back up at this intersection during the morning and afternoon rush hours, but that’s because of the “existing long 180-second traffic cycle length and are not due to capacity” issues, according to the study.

As many as 10 ambulances are expected come to the facility and will use a proposed emergency-only, right in, right out entrance and exit to the campus via Minnieville Road.

The study used two other major Kaiser campus in Tysons Corner and Baltimore to compare traffic to traffic at this proposed campus.

The Intersections numbered on the map above:

1. Minnville and Caton Hill roads
2. A right turn in, right out on Minnieville Road
3. A four-way intersection at Minnieville/Holly Acres/to be extended Southern Oak Way
4. Minnievlle Road/Oak Farm Drive/Green Ash Loop
5. Proposed Caton Hill Road
6. A new drive to take drivers to a new parking garage to be built on the property