Second left turn lane opens–easing traffic backup at VA 234 and Hoadly Road

​Drivers on Route 234 should start to see traffic improvements around Hoadly Road. The Prince William County Department of Transportation recently completed a project that added an additional left-turn lane from Route 234 onto Hoadly Road.

“We’ve doubled the capacity of this intersection by allowing there to be two left-turn lanes that can be received onto Hoadly Road,” said Coles District Supervisor Marty Nohe. “It’s already having a huge impact in terms of moving more people through this intersection every day.”

Before the 600-foot turn lane was added, cars would back up into the travel lanes on Route 234, and people could sit through several light changes, blocking traffic.

Nohe said the problem had worsened over the last several years and severely delayed travel during evening commute times. “We’ve struggled with cars filling up the turn lane during the evening rush hour and spilling into the general purpose lane. By adding this second left-turn lane, we now have the ability to get those people out of the travel way, make traffic more free flowing on Route 234, but also make it more convenient those people who are trying to make that left turn and head toward Purcell Road and the Prince William Parkway.”

The improvement pleases Nohe on several fronts. “As someone who drives around 234 every day, I’m excited about the fact that traffic can move more freely through this already frequently congested intersection. As a member of the Board of County Supervisors, I’m even more excited about the fact that this project came in $380,000 under budget and was finished a month ahead of schedule.”

Nohe said the county’s transportation should be commended for getting the project, originally budgeted for $840,000, completed under budget. “I think it speaks for the Prince William County Transportation Department. When we take on a traffic improvement that might be a small one like this left-turn lane, or a major one like widening a … road or building a new intersection, that we’re frequently able to bring them in under budget, ahead of schedule and get people moving faster and less expensively than was original anticipated.”

For more information about transportation projects in the county, visit http://www.pwcgov.org/transportation.