Highway Demolition Accident Injures 1

Gainesville Incident Closes Route 29

A highway demolition accident in Gainesville yesterday injured a construction worker and caused traffic tie-ups through last evening's rush. Authorities reopened eastbound Interstate 66 last night but said they were not certain when Route 29 would be reopened.

However, a Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the detour around the Route 29 blockage was short and that officials did not anticipate "too much difficulty" if its use was required this morning.

The accident occurred about 1 p.m. at the I-66/Route 29 interchange project at Exit 43.

VDOT is rebuilding the interchange between I-66 and Route 29, one of Northern Virginia's worst logjams. Workers were removing a beam from an abandoned I-66 eastbound ramp that crosses over Route 29. When workers removed the beam, several other beams came with it, falling onto the shoulder of northbound Route 29, where traffic had been detoured around the work, said VDOT spokeswoman Joan Morris.

"Today we are focused on keeping the traffic detoured and moving around the site. But it should not slow down the project, and it continues to be on track," Morris said. "This is precisely why we detour traffic around construction areas. We are very fortunate that only one person suffered minor injuries."

The worker was taken to a hospital with "extremely minor" injuries, said 1st Sgt. Kim Chinn of the Prince William County police.

Traffic officials were planning to reopen Route 29 for the evening rush but decided to keep the busy commuting artery closed and divert eastbound I-66 so safety officials would have time to bring in cranes and experts to inspect the demolition scene, Morris said.

The $90 million project includes rebuilding ramps for I-66 and Route 29, building four bridges and replacing girders and decks on two others. The work is being done by Shirley Contracting, according to VDOT.

Interstate 66 carries 57,000 vehicles a day between routes 15 and 29, with projections for 100,000 vehicles a day by 2028.

VDOT advised motorists to pay attention to electronic message boards for updates. The detours in place last night redirected motorists traveling east on I-66 to Exit 40 in Haymarket, then to Route 15, Route 55 and onto northbound Route 29.

Route 29 remained closed between Heathcote Boulevard and Route 55. Drivers traveling north on Route 29 in Gainesville were diverted onto I-66 east to the Route 234 bypass (Exit 44), then onto Balls Ford Road, Groveton Road and back onto Route 29. Motorists traveling south on Route 29 were advised to turn left at the signal at Heathcote Boulevard onto the ramp to I-66 west/Route 29 south.

Staff writer Martin Weil contributed to this report.