Underground Construction - October 2021 - 15

LEFT: Ongoing construction in a neighborhood.
ABOVE: Ongoing construction in a neighborhood. Finished Highway 9
" Ultimately, " Vance said, " the town received another $24 million
in grants from Loudoun County and the Northern Virginia
Transportation Authority, and the town issued its fi rst-ever
bonds to fully fund the entire $34-million multi-faceted road and
infrastructure project, which broke ground in March 2020 and was
substantially completed in May 2021. "
Saving money
Combining the projects into one, implementing a maintenance
of traffi c plan that included an extensive, complete road closure,
and with Hillsboro's mayor and Vice Mayor Amy Marasco acting
as pro-bono project managers, the project cost was reduced by an
estimated $7 to $11 million.
a project of this magnitude is impressive. A newspaper article
called Hillsboro's achievement a case study for rural success.
" Th e project, " said Mayor Roger Vance, " was conceived nearly
20 years ago as a traffi c-calming and pedestrian safety project,
with early study and preliminary design funded by a $1.5-million
Federal Highway Administration demonstration grant.
" Funding for concurrent drinking water and wastewater
studies and preliminary engineering came from state and county
grants. By 2016, the town had amassed nearly $10 million
across all of the projects. "
However, with little prospect for state highway funding,
the town assumed full administration and management of the
project, launched a campaign to " Build it Now, Build it Once "
and focused on raising local funds.
Established in 1752, Hillsboro today is considered one of the
best-preserved 18th-century villages in the state. Of Hillsboro's
50 structures, 40 are residences and many are historically
signifi cant. Th erefore, meticulous care had to be taken during
construction to protect historic structures and to preserve, and
even enhance, the town's natural environment.
Mayor Vance told the assembled crowd at the June ceremony
that the combined projects were completed on or ahead of schedule
and on budget, thanks to the extraordinary cooperation and
support from the community, project partners and contractors.
Hillsboro, in the heart of Virginia's wine country, in Loudoun
County - an active agribusiness and tourism area - and the
improvements to Route 9 (Charles Town Pike) were key elements
in the multiple enhancements. However, the underground utility
construction projects for this tiny village were equally impressive.
Engineering consultant Volkert designed the project and
managed its construction. Volkert's chief inspector, Jeff rey
(Jazzy) Shanks, was on project sites every day, from the start
of the project until completion. According to Shanks, the utility
construction elements included:
* Extensive utility work: relocation, undergrounding and
upgrading of existing utilities (water, electric, telephone)
* Building of completely new storm sewer and wastewater systems
* Installing town-owned communications underground conduit,
a new town-owned street-lighting system, new walking paths
and numerous ergonomic improvements.
Dry utilities
Electricity is provided by Dominion Energy and telephone by
Verizon. As part of the project, the aerial electric lines were buried
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Underground Construction - October 2021

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