Eugene Delgaudio - Sterling District
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ROUTE 28 STERLING BLVD INTERCHANGE OPEN

November 28, 2006

>>> NEW ROUTE 28 STERLING BLVD. INTERCHANGE NOW OPEN

I would have written sooner, but I have been in board meetings and Republican meetings until late last night.

The Sterling Boulevard - Route 28 interchange opened yesterday, one day ahead of a one week deadline.

Northbound Route 28 has been posted for Construction Zone 50 MPH speed, as outlined by VDOT officials last Tuesday.

The initial phase includes opening the ramps from Sterling Boulevard to both North and Southbound Route 28.

This cuts out the traffic light at Route 28 for Sterling residents heading out of Sterling at that intersection.

The movements from Route 28 to Sterling Boulevard will NOT be open at this time, and will Route 28 drivers still continue to get to Sterling Boulevard at the existing signalized intersection. This phase will allow Route 28 Southbound traffic to flow freely. Northbound Route 28 will still be controlled by the signal, to allow the Southbound left turns into Sterling Boulevard.

Please be careful using this intersection due to the curves and new conditions. It benefits everybody but especially Sterling residents.

I will watch for further progress in Phase 2 and Phase 3 where addtional sections of the new interchange will become available for use by the public. This is just weeks away. As a side note part of that last block of the old portion of the old Sterling Blvd. is now closed to traffic.

>>>> YOU DID THIS SO YOU CAN CHEER

I know I have already told you how important many of you have been. Thank you again for writing me, the board and the governor and other elected officials. Thank you for responding. Some of you have written or called me already and told me you look foreward to this opening.

Late last night, when I announced it at a meeting, the entire room of 100 men and women cheered. Thank you for that. When you drive on the new interchange, I know you will too feel the urge to cheer. You will cheer when you drive on it. You can not help but cheer. Go ahead. But keep your eye on the road too.

>>> SOME ARE NOT CHEERING

Most members of the news media have reported the "closing" of the interchange as it occured. There were no permits issued and VDOT officials were told in writing to keep the Boulevard closed. I immediately took legal and legislative action to reverse this wrongful and senseless act. Some editorialists and the Washington Post have taken a different look at this and treat the abuse of Sterling residents as a routine thing or justified policy.

These Democratic Cheerleaders object to my truthful correction of a serious injustice to Sterling and to Loudoun. They continue to promote the mantra "this is nothing" while pushing hurtful traffic policies on you and me.

I am open to admitting I am wrong and will-- and have-- corrected myself when warrented. That is why I was extremely measured in this entire matter and prepared legislation November 13 for consideration November 21 at a full board meeting.

>>> SOMEBODY MIGHT WANT TO KNOW DEPT.

I can not report everything all the time but one of the most under-reported duties I have is the effort put in by me as a member of the Transportation Committee, the Transportation Safety Commission and together with 7 other Supervisors from two counties, as a member of the Route 28 Tax District Oversight Board. There are some meetings reporters never go to. The details of the funding and construction of Route 28 has never been reported by any newspaper. Together with 7 other supervisors from Loudoun and Fairfax, we have worked on six intersections for the 7 years I have served you.

ACTUAL MAPS AND DESIGN OF STERLING INTERSECTION ON LINE

1. Here's a March 29 2005 Progress Update - District Commission
http://www.28freeway.com/pressroom.html

2. Go direct to the map document. Long download by dialup-- Page 19 of 29 pages. That's the Sterling Blvd. interchange. It will take a long time to download, but this posted design shows you the layout of the intersection and that most of these proposed plans are built and ready to drive on. Phase one means you ride on 2 full ramps while the 3rd smaller one is finished.
http://www.28freeway.com/press-releases/2005-03-29/28Commission032905.pdf

Or here's the faster download and more direct to the Sterling Boulevard
This link provides the map and plans and schedule for all the intersections
Go to
http://www.28freeway.com/projectmap.html

then click on "Sterling " for "Sterling Boulevard".
As I explained-- and you can now drive on-- to the board of supervisors last Tuesday, one small ramp in the lower southwest quandrant is unfinished. The other 2 larger ramps northwest and northeast quandrants are finished. Some other lanes can be finished in next few weeks, but the interchange is functional for traffic as all the previous interchanges were prior to 100 per cent completion.

In the case of Sterling Boulevard, the interchange has to be opened prior to 100 per cent completion in order to construct the final ramp. If the ramps are not opened then you delay the construction. This is because there is no room to construct the remaining ramp unless you open the new ramps.

>>>Blue Ridge Meats Donates 2,000 lbs. of Venison to Support LINK Thanksgiving and Christmas Programs

Blue Ridge Meats of Sterling donated 2,000 lbs. of Deer Meat to the LINK Thanksgiving Program on 18 November which assisted 375 families. The meat was cut into steaks, roasts, ribs, chops, tenderloins and venison burger. Blue Ridge Meats will again donate 1,500 lbs of venison to support the LINK Christmas Program on 16 December at Christ the Redeemer Catholic in Sterling and Trinity Presbyterian in Herndon. Over 400 families (comprising 2,000 people) are expected to register for this event.

Blue Ridge Meats of Sterling has been in business since 1990, and is owned by Doug and Lois Aylestock. Doug and Lois became partners with Hunters for the Hungry in 1991 and have processed venison for the area food banks (Seven Loaves; Middleburg, Interfaith Relief; Leesburg, Messiah's Market; Sterling, Good Shepherd Alliance; Leesburg and Food for Others; Fairfax) to assist those who might need some extra assistance in Loudoun and Fairfax counties.

Thank you to Doug and Lois Aylestock for this tremendous sacrifice in the acquisition, preparation and delivery of this donation. Along with the volunteers, churches and boy scouts who gathered 97,000 pounds of food from generous donors, this makes quite a team effort.

>>>>Discovery Park Plugs (correction)

(a complete list of DONORS to Discoery Park is here http://www.sullypto.com/donors.htm)
The playground is built and open to the public. It took $250,000 in cash support and $750,000 in donated volunteer and in kind donations of materials, food and effort.

There needs to be one correction. The Discovery Park movie-was designed, produced and created in its entirety by the Sully PTO's incredible webmaster Melanie Burrell. It is a three minute movie "Discovery Park The Movie" of the entire effort-- before the build--- (free download): on the homepage: http://www.sullypto.com/

>>> KLOSKY did the Photos
If you go to www.sullypto.com and click on photo gallery found on the home page left hand side menu, you will find options to view all our photos. Any photo gallery can be viewed as a slide show and there are probably three thousand photos by PETER KLOSKY there. Here is a direct link to the photos just of the build and there are slide shows listed in there.
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y186/pklosky/2006-10-99%20Discovery%20Park%20Build/

>>> POSTED NEWS VIDEO
Eugene talks about bringing GMU to Loudoun. Eugene talks to TV News 4 about Dulles South and the lost opportunity to bring a George Mason University campus to Loudoun. (4 MB WMV)
http://www.joineugene.com/

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