Rt 15 N. Comp Plan Amendment to be considered at June 21 meeting

At its business meeting on June 21, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider a Comprehensive Plan Amendment related to safety and operational improvements to Route 15 north of Leesburg.

If the Board votes to approve this CPAM, the county will be positioned to move forward with designing road improvements and identifying funding sources.

Proposed improvements that would require the approval of this CPAM include:

• Widening of U.S. Rt. 15 to four lanes between Montresor Road and the Village of Lucketts.
• The installation of a median divide on Route 15 from Stumptown Road/Lucketts Road north to Saint Clair Lane.
• Construction of a bypass around the Village of Lucketts. Two potential bypass alignments have been proposed: a western option, which may affect a nearby wildlife sanctuary and other sensitive areas, and an eastern option, which may affect local property owners as well as county facilities. The Board is still considering both western and eastern options for the location of this bypass.

At the Board’s May 11 public hearing, members of the public provided their input on the proposed congestion relief and safety improvements for Rt. 15, as well as their perspectives on possible locations of the proposed Lucketts bypass.

Consideration of this CPAM comes after years of county studies to identify the cause of recurring congestion in the area and to improve safety within the Rt. 15 corridor between Whites Ferry Road and the Maryland state line. These studies resulted in a plan that was endorsed by the Board of Supervisors in July 2019. The Board initiated the CPAM in March 2021 to enable the planned improvements.

Several recommended safety improvements, which did not require amendment of the county’s Comprehensive Plan, are already in process, including:

• Expanding Rt. 15 to four lanes from King Street to Montresor Road.
• The design of a roundabout at Spinks Ferry Road.
• Pedestrian improvements within the Village of Lucketts.
• Safety improvements at the Lovettsville Road intersection with Rt. 15.

For more information about the Rt. 15 North safety and operations studies, visit the project webpage.

To view meeting documents and watch the live stream of the June 21 meeting, visit loudoun.gov/meetings. The meeting can also be viewed on Comcast cable channel 23 and Verizon FiOS channel 40.