The cost of widening Linton Hall Road between Routes 28 and 29 and finishing the Sudley Manor Drive extension has gone by about $18 million.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved the additional money Tuesday for the projects, whose price tag now totals $78 million.
“We put this in front of the voters a long time ago. … We feel pretty strongly this is something they are expecting,” said Craig Gerhart, county executive.
“Given the gridlock problems that area is facing, we still think it is worth it,” said Board Chairman Sean Connaughton.
The higher price tag was the result of the county taking over the Linton Hall project from the Virginia Department of Transportation, which forced the county to follow costly and time-consuming federal guidelines.
“More importantly, it extends the project by six months,” said Tom Blaser, the county’s transportation chief. “Of course, when you extend the project, costs go up.”
Connaughton said the contractor will most likely start the engineering and clearing by fall. The project is slated to finish in August 2009.
“I don’t think VDOT could start the project until 2011,” Gerhart said.
The widening project was part of the 1998 road bond.
CH2M Hill, the contractor, will finish the Sudley Manor Drive extension, which includes widening Linton Hall Road to a four-lane divided highway between Sudley Manor Drive and Devlin Road. It will then widen Linton Hall Road to Route 28, including building the bridge over Broad Run.
Once the widening is complete, VDOT will build sound walls on several portions of the road to meet federal guidelines. VDOT widened Linton Hall from Route 29 to Devlin Road.
Project costs:
Sudley Manor Drive
» Original cost estimated at $29.8 million in 2004
» New estimate: $35.8 million
Linton Hall Road
» Original cost estimated to be between $28 million and $30 million in 2005
» New estimate: $42.6 million
