New Crosswalks Considered For 8 Intersections Near Loudoun Schools

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — New crosswalks could be coming to eight intersections near Loudoun County schools in the near future. On Tuesday, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved an item to investigate whether the intersections should have crosswalks for students walking to school.

The item also instructed county staff members to develop a new process for requesting crosswalks. The proposed process would streamline requests, so community members would not have to make a formal request for a crosswalk in front of the entire Board of Supervisors.

The item passed 8-0-1 on Tuesday. Sterling District Supervisor Koran Saines was absent for the vote.

"We were hearing community concerns about the way folks were travelling to school on foot," Algonkian District Supervisor Juli Briskman said at Tuesday's meeting. "There's some areas where the kids are crossing that are not safe."

The proposed crosswalks would serve students in Ashburn, Sterling, and Aldie. Here are the eight intersections that will be considered for new crosswalks:

1. Farmwell Station Middle School
   
   1. On the northern, eastern and western legs of the intersection of Gloucester Parkway / Runnymeade Terrace / school’s main entrance
2. Horizon Elementary School
   1. On Broadmore Drive at Westover Terrace / school’s main entrance
3. Trailside Middle School
   1. On Portsmouth Boulevard at Chesterton Street
4. Horizon Elementary School
   1. On Potomac View Road (southern leg) at Parkside Circle / Broadmore
      Drive
5. Mercer Middle School
   1. On Mineral Springs Circle (western leg) at Graywacke Drive
6. Mill Run Elementary School
   1. On Stone Hollow Drive (eastern leg) at Ridgeway Drive.
7. Stone Bridge High School
   1. On Marshfield Drive (western leg) at Cedarpost Square / Isherwood
      Terrace
8. Buffalo Trail Elementary School
   1. Intersection of Seven Hills Drive / Little Rocky Terrace

The eight intersection were all ranked and prioritized based on school utility, equity, safety, and ease of implementation. Six other intersections were also identified in the initial county study, but they have already been addressed or included in other plans.

The approved item also instructed county staff members to develop a new, streamlined process for community members to request crosswalks.

"There's going to be certain steps people can go through to bring a concern on safe routes to school and crosswalks," Briskman said. "I'm really proud of that work."

Broad Run Supervisor Sylvia Glass shared similar sentiments at Tuesday's meeting.

"Implementing the crosswalk improvements on the prioritized list will be appreciated by the community," Glass said. "I think a process to evaluate and construct crosswalks moving forward will be very beneficial."

Glass noted that crosswalks are one of the most common requests she hears from constituents.

"A streamlined process would be fantastic to have," Glass said. "That would allow the communities to receive the type of analysis that they're looking for without having to bring every crosswalk before the full Board of Supervisors."