Chain Bridge Road - Eaton Place Intersection Improvements

JLL - Thank you for your comment. Comment moderation is an automated feature of the engagement platform. Staff did not remove your comment. You may send the Audubon link directly to the mayor and council. All feedback from the previous round of outreach was shared with City Council before they endorsed the current project design. Transportation staff is looking for feedback on the 30% design plans. Thank you.

Posting again because moderators removed my comment stating that wildlife assessments that are not sponsored by the city are against the proposal because of the irreversible ecological damage, and increased risk of flooding to residents.

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Original comment- What happened to the hundreds of comments that residents already provided years ago? Oh yeah- you didn’t like the response so now you’re trying to rewrite history. I spoke extensively about the wildlife and environmental impacts at several town halls. Now another group is saying the same thing. What is the point of community engagement if you don’t listen? (Link to the study is now removed because the City wouldn’t post it… they clearly don’t want any other message and biased assessments to be reviewed by citizens).

Removed by moderator.

Thanks for your question, Hank W. The original design was a two-lane roundabout. After the Orchard signal and the new VDOT signals near I-66 went in, we remodeled it and realized it wouldn’t work well there.

Was a rotary design considered? It would make an excellent traffic flow and act as a more natural slowing of traffic. automatically it would reduce the high speed approach from Oakton and I-66 entering the city.

The existing intersection is extremely dangerous; there are frequent wrecks (including a dead motorcyclist recently). It is difficult to see pedestrians using the crosswalk when turning from Chain Bridge Rd due to how the crosswalk must be placed back from the access road. People also ignore the traffic signal for the access road frequently. Closing the access roads badly needs to be done, even if some cars will continue to attempt to cut through the hotels and businesses on either side. I work off of Eaton Place and have no objections to the current design.

I suspect that Eaton Place will continue to be extremely busy, especially at rush hour, unless the intersection with Fairfax Blvd were closed and traffic accessing Eaton Place from Fairfax Blvd were forced to take the new University Drive Extension/Northfax East extension. It's just too convenient a shortcut for people connecting from Fairfax Blvd to Chain Bridge Rd.

This plan makes it very difficult to go east bound from Cobbdale. It looks like another waste of money. Why can't Cobbdale just get some sidewalks?

I believe this project will enhance safety for both pedestrians and automobiles. It also will promote walking and biking between neighborhoods and between regions. Hopefully, detailed traffic studies will dictate intersection movements and traffic controls that will prevent any congestion to occur for Cobbdale residents.

Please rethink this plan, it will create a congestion nightmare for the residents of Cobbdale during higher car activity in and out of Cobbdale. You are not leaving nearly enough room for car back up at the new proposed light and this will create so many more issues than you think. If you lived here like I do, you would know that this plan will not work for us with all the cut through traffic we get all day long and especially during rush hour.
For example,

1) The length of the street leading to the new light going out of Cobbdale only allows for about 3-4 cars in each lane from Norman Ave to the proposed new light. If this is full with cars (it is usually about 3-4 cars deep getting out of the neighborhood now at the Eaton/Chain Bridge light during lighter traffic times), the cars coming out of the Assembly neighborhood that need to either get to Eaton or just go left on Chain Bridge (I know they can turn right with the new plan but this doesn't help much), will have to stop and wait at the intersection of Norman Ave until there is room to move forward. This will also stop cars who are entering the Cobbdale neighborhood and wanting to turn left on Norman Ave.
2) Also cars coming into the Cobbdale neighborhood will have to wait to get past all the traffic at the light just to go straight onto Oak Place since their path leads right by the light. Yes, they could turn left on Norman Ave, then right on Burrows and then left again on Oak Place but this is really a round about way to get home. Also, Oak place near the new proposed light could be backed up by several cars trying to get out of the neighborhood.
3) And who gets right of way for cars coming from Oak Place to get out of the neighborhood via the new light? Which way has to yield for the other way?
4) If there is not enough room for cars exiting the new proposed light to turn right on Chain Bridge (this busy road is always really backed up), this will intensify the car back up inside the Cobbdale neighborhood trying to get out.

Please don't do this, I walked door to door in the Cobbdale neighborhood to get opinions on this new plan 4 years ago and 80% of the residents who signed the petition regarding this plan definitely did not want it. We have told you over and over during the several meetings about this that we do not want this. We would really appreciate you leaving things as they are and use the money for much needed sidewalks which poses a bigger safety issue than the way the streets are now around our neighborhood.