Virginia Officials Break Ground Monday to Widen Route 1

Virginia elected officials and Fort Belvoir representatives gathered Monday morning at Lieber Gate at Fort Belvoir for a ceremony to break ground on the start of the Route 1 widening project.  

A 3.5-mile stretch of Route 1 that passes through Fort Belvoir will be widened. The project is designed to alleviate traffic congestion and provide greater mobility for those who travel along the Route 1 corridor to the Army installation and new Belvoir hospital.

Route 1 will be widened from four to six lanes between Telegraph Road and Mount Vernon Highway, and will provide pedestrian and bicycle improvements and accommodations for future transit. The $180 million was awarded in November; part of a $300 million appropriation secured by the Maryland and Virginia delegations for BRAC-related transportation improvements across the country.

According to The Washington Post, part of the roadway may be named for Moran, who recently announced his retirement from Congress.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2016.

Those in attendance included:

• Congressman Jim Moran (D-8th)
• Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-11th)
• Col. Gregory D. Gadson, Garrison commander
• Sen. Linda T. Puller (D-36th)
• Del. Mark Sickles (D-43rd)
• Del. Scott Surovell (D-44th)
• Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay, Lee District
• Fairfax County Supervisor Gerry Hyland, Mount Vernon District
• Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova

Keep up with construction information here, courtesy of SFDC:

• U.S. Route 1 Improvements at Fort Belvoir Information Website
• What You Need to Know About Route 1 Improvements

Email Robert.Morris@dot.gov with any comments or questions. 

(Photos courtesy of Congressman Gerry Connolly's office.)