First on Potomac Local
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — Drivers on Prince William Parkway at Balls Ford Road could see a diverging diamond.
The type of crossing that’s popping up all over the state called a Diverging Diamond Interchange, is proposed to replace a four-way intersection now controlled a signal light, near Interstate 66.
The interchange would be built just south of the current intersection of Prince William Parkway (Route 234 bypass) and Balls Ford Road. The price tag to build the new junction, and widen Balls Ford Road from two to four lanes between the parkway and Groveton Road, sits at about $145 million.
Prince William County officials applied, and the Nothern Virginia Transportation Authority this month approved $235 million for the project. The project now heads to Richmond for approval by the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
The DDI design replaces an old cloverleaf design that was to be built in the same area.
Prince William County Transportation Director Rick Canizales said his department was able to lower the projected cost of the diverging diamond interchange, or DDI, project in the design phase and wouldn’t require the entire $235 million. The funds are part of a more than $500 million advance payment from Interstate 66 toll operators I-66 Mobility Partners paid to the state ahead of construction of the I-66 E-ZPass Express Lanes project. The funds will be used to fund road and rail transportation improvement projects in the region.
Prince William County already owns much of the right of way of where the new interchange will sit. While the project is still in the design phase, a portion of what will become the old Balls Ford Road east of Prince William Parkway will become a culdesac.
A right-turn-only, from the southbound side of the parkway for drivers exiting I-66, onto the old portion of Balls Ford Road could be added.
Balls Ford Road is Prince William’s industrial corridor with multiple warehousing businesses in the area to include Martin Brower, U.S. Foods, and Reinhart food services companies. Prince William Parkway (Route 234 bypass) is a popular truck route that links I-66 and I-95.
The DDI is designed similarly to one that opened this summer on I-66 in Haymarket. Two signal lights on the east and west sides of the intersection control the flow of traffic, allowing drivers on Balls Ford Road to drive on the opposite sides of the road to move through the intersection, as well as seamlessly exit the road onto Prince William Parkway.
Known for its safety features, the DDI eliminates the need for making right turns across oncoming traffic to enter and exit a roadway. The DDI in Haymarket was the first in Northern Virginia, and a second DDI is now under construction at Courthouse Road and I-95 in Stafford County.
Balls Ford Road will be realigned and widened to four lanes ahead of the opening of the new DDI. From west to east, the new, wider Balls Ford would divert from Devlin Road and intersect with Wellington Road at a stoplight, then again at Wallingford Drive.
Two new bridges to be built as part of DDI will carry Balls Ford Road traffic over the Norfolk Southern Railway and Prince William Parkway. Once across Prince William Parkway, traffic on the new Balls Ford would reconnect with the old portion of Balls Ford east of Groveton Road.
The Balls Ford Road interchange is one of 10 projects Prince William County officials submitted to the NVTA to be considered for funding from the more than $500 million I-66 Mobility Partners grant. All of the projects were in the Prince William Parkway (Route 234 bypass) corridor and included constructing new interchanges at University Boulevard and Sudley Manor Drive.
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