Truck apron work on East and West Roundabouts begins on October 19, limiting truck and trailer traffic in the roundabouts until completed.
The Town of Hillsboro has announced that work will begin the week of October 19 on construction of the concrete truck apron encircling the East Roundabout at Route 9 and Hillsboro Road (Rt. 690). To allow for proper curing of the concrete and to limit its potential damage, oversize vehicles, trucks and trailer traffic will have limited access through the roundabout for seven days, through October 26. Construction of the project’s West Roundabout truck apron will follow within three weeks and will have similar restrictions.
Hillsboro Mayor and Project Manager Roger Vance said, “The roundabout truck aprons are designed and will be built to withstand the weight of the heaviest vehicles permitted on Virginia highways. However, the concrete apron’s strength and durability are directly dependent on the proper amount of curing time. Thus, we are taking extra precautions to ensure no vehicular traffic crosses the apron for seven days.” Large trucks and trailers are urged to follow the regional detour or find alternate routes during this time.
Vance noted that one of the Town’s four overarching principles governing its ReThink9 project is that the project “Is to be executed with utmost attention to ensure the highest quality and durability of the finished product, including traffic-calming elements, reducing the risk of high long-term maintenance costs and maintaining the historical integrity of the Town of Hillsboro.”
According to Commonwealth Transportation Board member Scott Kasprowicz, “VDOT has studied the best methods for the construction of concrete systems in heavily traveled roadways for decades—curing times and techniques in particular have benefited from their research and strict adherence to the standards they have developed dramatically reduces the incidences of damage and repetitive repairs. We’ve learned from experience that structures such as these and traffic-calming crosswalks require proper curing during construction to avoid costly rebuilding and ongoing repairs. I’m pleased to see Hillsboro taking these precautions to ensure lasting durability, reduce the potential for future road closures to make unplanned repairs and protect our investment.”
ReThink9 Construction Manager, Matt Weaver, of Volkert Engineering, said, “This effort to eliminate truck and trailer travel through the work zone during critical construction will lessen the chance that a vehicle will compromise the quality of the final product. When completed, the concrete aprons and mountable curbs encircling the landscaped island of each of the project’s roundabouts will accommodate the rear wheels of larger vehicles, such as trucks, trailers and buses, allowing them to safely navigate the roundabout.”
Weaver said the apron construction of the West Roundabout at Route 9 and Stony Point Road (Rt. 719) is currently slated to begin either the week of October 26 or during the week of November 9. He noted that there will be no road construction work on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3.
