Town Of Hillsboro Completes $30M Construction Project On Route 9

HILLSBORO, VA — A $30 million infrastructure project along the Route 9 corridor in Hillsboro is now complete. To celebrate the occasion, officials from Hillsboro and around Loudoun County attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday.

The project, known as ReThink 9, centered around roadway and infrastructure improvements to historic Route 9. Improvements centered around decreasing traffic congestion, increasing accesbility for pedestrians, and the installation of underground utilities for broadband and water.

"We’re so pleased to welcome our residents, local business owners and visitors back to our safer, calmer, revitalized historic Main Street, Charles Town Pike," Hillsboro Mayor Roger Vance said at the ribbon cutting ceremony. "This project was ahead of schedule and on budget thanks to the extraordinary cooperation and support from our community, partners and contractors."

Volkert, a construction services company, was hired to design the project and manage construction. The construction contract was awarded to Archer Western in November 2019.

Originally, construction was planned to last for three years. Officials said the project was mostly completed in just 14 months, and will ease the congestion from the 17,000 vehicles that travel on Route 9 each day. "Our vision, and the collaborative work of the designers, engineers and skilled craftsmen we honor today, made this possible," Vance said.

In addition to the traffic improvements, officials said they also focused on honoring the history of the area. "We are extremely proud that we delivered critical safety and infrastructure improvements to keep the region moving in a manner that did not compromise historic integrity, but rather complemented and enhanced it," Vance said.

Hundreds of native trees and plants now accompany the road, "to ultimately recreate the lush canopy that once shaded Charles Town Pike," the town said.

"While the project addressed congestion and safety concerns, we were also committed to restoring the Town with materials that are not only historically appropriate, but also durable and environmentally sensitive," Hillsboro Vice Mayor Amy Marasco said. "A granite curb will not only last for centuries, but its carbon footprint is significantly smaller than other construction materials."

To commemorate the historic renovation, town officials also prepared a time capsule, to be opened in 100 years. Mayor Vance believed the project, which proclaims to have finished ahead of time and on budget on its website, will inspire generations to come. "In 2121, when this time capsule is opened, we hope the future leaders of the Town of Hillsboro will be inspired to see how—with vision and through dedication and teamwork—we made the ‘impossible’ possible in 2021."