InnerLoop V16 Pages

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VDOT NOVA DISTRICT MAGAZINE
SPRING/SUMMER 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
Pets of VDOT
Route 7 & Battlefield Parkway
Renée Hamilton’s Farewell

Keeping Us Moving During COVID
Masks up and cameras on! Work looks a little different these days but you are making
it happen! Thank you for all that you have done to protect the safety and health of each
other, our loved ones, and our residents, while keeping NOVA moving.
Don’t forget to stay up to date on the latest info for our workplace:
Watch this video recording of the
recent District town hall Q&A on
topics like facilities, the coming
school year and snow season, and
what work will continue to look like
during COVID in our District.
Wondering about wearing a mask
at work? Check out this handy video
produced by Communications and
running on EBBs. Text it, email it,
spread the word! #MaskUpNOVA
For more COVID resources, check
out the COVID-19 planning site on
InsideVDOT with the latest details
on VDOT’s statewide plan.

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Another One B
Route 7/Battlefield Parkway the latest signal
On Sunday night, July 26, crews removed the traffic signal at
Route 7 and Battlefield Parkway in Leesburg to improve traffic
flow and continue a series of interchanges being added along
Route 7 in Loudoun County. Battlefield Parkway will be closed
just north and south of Route 7 through Spring 2021 as the
overpass is constructed, which aims to reduce congestion in
the Route 7 corridor and improve safety and operations.
Check out the great photos Incident Management Coordinator
Rodney Frye captured while ensuring that crucial interagency
coordination went smoothly throughout the closure.
To help explain the long-term detour to residents,
Communications created a short video showing the different
detour routes. To watch the video and get more details on the
project, visit virginiadot.org/route7battlefield.
“Getting to this point has been the result of several years of
extensive collaboration and teamwork among VDOT, the Town
of Leesburg, design-build contractor Wagman/Parsons, local
police, EMS and others,” said Design-Build Project Manager
Sanjeev Suri. “I would like to offer my appreciation to everyone
who has contributed toward this successful undertaking.”

ites the Dust
removed to build new overpass in Loudoun
After the interchange opens, the Route 7 traffic signal at
nearby Cardinal Park Drive will also be removed. When the
project is complete, Route 7 will officially be signal-free from
City Center Boulevard in Sterling to Berryville in Clarke County.
That’s 30 miles, reducing travel and commute times for those
traveling across Loudoun! In the last six years, interchanges
or overpasses have replaced signals at Belmont Ridge Road,
Ashburn Village Boulevard and Sycolin Road, with a signal also
removed at Lexington Drive.
major milestone that wouldn’t have been possible without
the efforts of Location and Design (William Dunn and Calvin
Britt), Preliminary Engineering (Kim McCool and Deepa
Thandaveswara), Environmental (Halie Mitchell), Structure
& Bridge (Vicente Valeza), Right of Way (Teresa Cook and
Scott Farrell) Materials, Construction (Sanjeev Suri, Jay Babra,
Tina Briganti-Dunn and the Design-Build section), Traffic
Engineering, Project Controls and Communications! Thank you
to everyone who helped get this project to this critical point!
The Battlefield Parkway closure and signal removal is a
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Barriers on Battlefield Parkway just north of Route 7
Dark traffic signal at Route 7 and Battlefield Parkway after being taken out of service
Crews remove Route 7/Battlefield Parkway traffic signal components

Aerial view of Route 7/Battlefield Parkway a few days after the Battlefield Parkway closure
Trees Successfully
Replanted from Route 7
at Battlefield Parkway
Project in Leesburg
VDOT and the Wagman/Parsons
design-build team collaborated
with the Town of Leesburg and Tree
Movers, LLC to successfully move
29 large trees that were set to be
removed as part of the Route 7 at
Battlefield Parkway project. The trees
were relocated to several locations
around town, and help replace some
of the 81 trees on town property
that were lost in a tornado this past
February.
Photo: A tree relocated from the
project site is replanted at Leesburg’s
Robinson Park.
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ME
SAFE
Kwame Acquah
“If you don’t have confidence in yourself, you are twice
defeated in the race of life,” says Marcus Garvey, and
that’s what Kwame Acquah believes.
Kwame is a safety professional with over 4 years
in the private sector and almost seven years in the
public Sector. Kwame served as a Safety and Health
Consultant/Compliance Officer with the Virginia
Occupational Safety and Health Program (VOSH) for
five years and is currently serving as the District Safety
Manager for VDOT’s NOVA District for almost two
years. Kwame’s areas of expertise are Safety Health and
Environmental Risk Assessments, compliance assistance,
and Consultative Safety and Health Surveys of
workplaces. Evaluation and investigations of complaints
and crashes have also been very prominent in both the
public and private sector.
During his spare time Kwame enjoys traveling, reading,
and watching sports: soccer, basketball, football, and
tennis.

ET
TY
Judd Hanberry
Whether training and advising foreign soldiers or
reviewing a job site for a construction inspector, Judd
believes education is the most effective and longest
lasting tool there is.
Judd is a qualified Basic and Intermediate Work Zone
Traffic Control Training Instructor and OSHA 10 and 30
hour Outreach Trainer. He has been an employee at VDOT
since 2002. He started as a Construction Inspector and
progressed to Senior Construction/Project Inspector. He
has been the NOVA Construction Safety Specialist since
2014 and recently transitioned to District Safety Manager.
Judd works to foster the “Safety First” program of VDOT
by creating and implementing initiatives and techniques
that have increased the safety of NOVA construction
projects. He developed the NOVA Construction Site Safety
and Health Review for NOVA construction projects, to
include Design Bid-Build and Local Assistance Projects.
During his spare time, if he’s not coaching high school
or AAU basketball, you will find him playing basketball
himself, on the golf course, or hiking the Blue Ridge with
his family and dogs.
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SAFETY
REMINDER

Transitioning into night work can be difficult,
but there are strategies that can help!
During Night Shifts:
Take regular, short breaks during the shift
Be active during breaks: walk or exercise
Eat healthy snacks and avoid junk food
Avoid caffeine late in the shift so it
doesn’t disrupt your ability to fall asleep
after work
Keep in contact with co-workers to help
everyone stay alert
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ew
-to-
ova
NPlease give a warm welcome
to the newest additions to the
Northern Virginia District:
Shazack Ali
Policy and Planning
Michael Golmon
Arcola AHQ
Christy Jacobsen
Infrastructure
Cody Myers
Leesburg AHQ

Robert Clark
Arcola AHQ
Norvel Cooksey
NRO
Lavante Francis
Van Dorn
Stephen Scanlan
Hillsboro AHQ
Michael Trinh
Transportation Planning
Joseph Warner
NRO Traffic Operations
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NOVA
Has Each Other
Covered During
COVID-19
With businesses gradually reopening and CDC and
state guidance in place for face protection, we’re going
to need masks for a while, and we’re going to need a
lot--whether we must be at work, completing errands or
beginning to venture out with our families. To meet the
need for our new normal and ensure both colleagues and
families are safe, VDOT staff have been sewing hundreds
of masks from home over recent weeks, for District
employees who must head to the office or the field, as
well as their families.
Design-Build
Program Manager
Tina Briganti-Dunn
sews masks at her
Centreville home.
Design-Build Program Manager Tina Briganti-Dunn has
made more than 150 cloth face masks at her Centreville
home since March, donating most of them in the early
weeks to District construction staff, contractors and their
families.
“I was inspired by the Facebook post of a friend who
was teaching her daughters how to sew masks,” said
Briganti-Dunn. “That same day, I went to the store and
bought a new sewing machine and materials. Little did
I realize at that point that our construction staff was in
need while they waited for the back orders of masks
and neck gaiters. I have happily made masks for our
construction staff and their families upon request.”
Megaprojects Director Susan Shaw has made about
100 masks at her Chantilly home for VDOT, consultant
inspectors and families, including her niece who is a
nurse in Alabama.
“I’m a quilter by hobby, so having fabric is not an issue,”
Shaw said. “Elastic, on the other hand, is hard to come
by, so I have resorted to other types of mask designs.”
Shaw and Briganti-Dunn plan to keep making more
masks as long as the need is there.
Just a sample of Briganti-Dunn’s
more than 150 homemade masks

Design-Build team
member Tiffany Brown
and her family sport some
of Briganti-Dunn’s masks.
Megaprojects
Director Susan
Shaw wearing one
of her homemade
masks on site at
the Transform 66
Project’s I-66/Route
28 interchange
improvements.
District Construction
Engineer Bill Cuttler
wears a mask made by
Briganti-Dunn.
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The widened Custis Trail runs alongside Lee Highway.
The North Lynn Street improvements with the Key
Bridge and Georgetown in the background.
NEW MULTIMODAL ACCESS AND PUBLIC AR
Rosslyn is now more bicycle- and pedestrianfriendly
thanks to a $9.3 million project
completed in May.
The Lynn Street Esplanade and Custis Trail
Improvements project, in cooperation with
Arlington County, made enhancements aimed
at improving cyclist and pedestrian safety along
portions of North Lynn Street and Lee Highway.
The North Lynn Street improvements included:
• Wider sidewalks
• Improved curb ramps
• Upgraded traffic signals
• A new bike lane
• Decorative lighting
• Landscaping
Similar improvements were also made to the
signalized intersections along southbound Lee
Highway between North Lynn Street and North
Oak Street.
The Custis Trail, located along southbound Lee
Highway, was widened to 16 feet and shifted
away from the travel lanes, with an eight-footwide
grass buffer separating the trail from the
roadway. This was done by removing one of
the three southbound lanes of Lee Highway.
The new design provides improved cyclist and
pedestrian access to both the Mount Vernon Trail
and the Key Bridge into Washington, D.C.

The bicycle and pedestrian improvements on the North Lynn
Street Esplanade.
Arlington County’s “Corridor of Light” public art structures shine alongside the North Lynn Street
bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
T IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETE IN ROSSLYN
The project also supported Arlington County’s
public art installation entitled “Corridor of
Light,” with art structures at each of the four
corners of the North Lynn Street bridge over I-66.
The unique lighting structures were designed
by an artist in Venice Beach, California and
manufactured in Utah.
“Our team really came through for Arlington
County and improved this urban area near the
Key Bridge,” said District Construction Engineer
Bill Cuttler. “The multimodal improvements
and beautification will positively define this
community for years to come.”
Special thanks to the sections that made this
project possible: Construction, Location and
Design, Environmental, Structure and Bridge,
Materials, Traffic Engineering, Project Controls
and Communications.
More information about Arlington County’s
“Corridor of Light” initiative can be viewed here.
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Tell Me Some
Do you have kudos or a good news story to share? Let us know
on Twitter! Just email novapublicaffairs@vdot.virgin
Mount Vernon AHQ
“A sincere, belated THANK YOU to VDOT for repairing the
easement in front of my property at Collingwood Road.
A poor gradient and lots of rain had caused sinkholes along
the strip of land between the public walkway and Collingwood
Road. At first, I tried to repair them with a few bags of dirt, but
quickly realized large caverns had formed underground that
were a potential hazard to anybody who might accidentally
step on top of them.
I called VDOT earlier this year, and within a week, a crew
came out and repaired the sinkholes. They compacted dirt and
planted grass and the issue is now resolved. They did it quickly
and without any fuss. My family really appreciated it, as did the
local community, who no longer need to dodge sinkholes when
jogging past our house.
To celebrate the improvement, I threw down some sunflower
seeds, which have blossomed into beautiful summer flowers
that the whole neighborhood enjoys.”
Thank you!
- Russell Drew
Hillsboro AHQ
“I just wanted to tell you that the VDOT crew in Hillsboro are
awesome! They came out to a house on Allder School Road
and fixed up the road drainage and blew out the culvert. It
really made a big difference! The guys were really nice also!”
- Juanita Tool
Operations
“I heard rave reviews today about a VDOT employee
who was very helpful to prepare for COVID-19 testing at
Bailey’s Elementary School in Mason District on Sunday,
May 24….Late on Saturday, the assistant commander
of the Mason District Police Station contacted VDOT for
assistance in what turned out to be hundreds, perhaps
thousands, of people who showed up for COVID-19
testing. VDOT employee John Stafford responded with
signboards and tons of cones for traffic cueing. He showed
up at 5:30 in the morning, and was a critical part of the
reason why this site operated with less chaos than another
site last weekend…I wanted you to know how much his
work was appreciated by the police command staff. It
really helped make the difference. Stay safe and healthy!”
- Penny Penelope A. Gross, Mason District Supervisor
Fairfax Permits
Re: coordination over the last year to permit $80,000 of
landscaping on medians along New Dominion Parkway. An
excerpt:
“I want you to know how appreciative I am for the help
and very practical assistance I constantly got from your
team…Throughout the dozens of communications, Aminul
Chowdhury was always professional, super helpful, patient,
and, to put it simply, can do. He worked with me to make
sure this would happen.”
- Robert Goudie, Executive Director, Reston Town Center
Association

thing Good
about it! We may share it in the Inner Loop, InsideVDOT or even
ia.gov. Here are just a few kudos we’ve received for...
Construction
“What a great job. Wonderful to be reminded of the
very good work that some state organizations do. The
prep and notices were timely; the work itself was first
class and fast (so fast I thought they just did our culde-sac--but
then walked down the street and saw they
did a very large section of streets). Teams maneuvering
equipment and people and trucks on a street with Swiss
railroad efficiency. Looks great (probably increased our
property value by $50K). Just a wonderful sight to see
and I couldn’t help but take pictures the whole time they
were in our cul-de-sac. Back in 1957 I watched this same
process when we lived in Falls Church (2 miles away).
Oh what an amazing evolution in road paving you have
made! Come back anytime--I hope your folks all know
how neat it was to watch them at work. If this is normal,
I have not been paying attention. Thanks.”
- James Baxter, Re: resurfacing of Paul Street in
Alexandria
Mount Vernon AHQ
“......The crew finished up work on the fallen tree and it looks
fantastic! They not only removed the stump but also put
down stone to prevent erosion on the bank, and reseeded the
area. We could not be more happier or appreciative with the
work.
As always, VDOT has exceeded our expectations. Thank you
again!”
- Wessynton Homes Association
Bike and Ped, Land Use,
Infrastructure and Construction
“Wanted to send a short note saying how fortunate many
of us are in Northern Virginia to have good bike and ped
facilities. Most of us have been cooped up at home for the
past 3 months with few options for getting outside. I see
many more people riding bikes and walking. The trails are
so crowded that my wife and I mostly ride on the road. In
Reston we are very fortunate to have relatively new bike
lanes on many of our roads. When I walk, I mostly walk
in the road to create social distance, and I can do that
relatively safely because of the bike lanes. And that’s only
because Fairfax DOT and VDOT have made a concerted
effort over the past several years to install bike lanes during
repaving. Thank you for creating this space.”
- Bruce Wright, Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling
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#Pets
of VDOT
#COVID19Edition
We assembled a
special pandemic
edition of our
wildly popular
#petsofvdot feature
to surprise and
uplift our Twitter
community. (Spoiler
alert: It went well.)
Check out all of the
pets here!
@VaDOTNOVA

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You’ve likely heard it more than once, but 2020 sure does feel like we’ve been pushed into the VDOT of
Tomorrow. We already have so many success stories to tell on working remotely, meeting virtually, and
reinventing our processes during the pandemic.
Here are just a few ways to keep up with VDOT of Tomorrow efforts:
The VDOT of Tomorrow team, with the Office of Strategic Innovation and Workforce Development, is offering
webinars focusing on tools, technology, and leadership as we look to the future at VDOT. Watch for emails to
join via Google Meet or livestream on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. You can also watch past
webinars on the OSI InsideVDOT page. Watch now:
New Analytics and Visual Tools
VDOT’s Future with Connected
and Automated Vehicles
Collaboration Tools: G Suite,
MS Teams, Forms and Keep
VDOT of Tomorrow Webpage
Get more information on VDOT’s three key priorities: preparing our people, empowering innovation and
modernizing our methods, and the ten strategic initiatives behind them. Click on the VDOT of Tomorrow
banner from InsideVDOT.

ideaDRIVER
Have you checked out ideaDRIVER yet? It’s VDOT’s crowdsourcing platform for idea-sharing and problemsolving.
Log on to ideaDRIVER with your VDOT username and password at vdot.ideascalegov.com or from
the InsideVDOT home page under Quick Access. Check out this video to learn more!
VDOTers can vote on what ideas make the most sense for the agency. Each submission will be vetted and
voted upon by VDOT coworkers, evaluated and considered for implementation.
Check out ideas generated from Northern Virginia’s inNOVAtion Lab in March, ideas from
Working Remotely and Don’t Stand, Don’t Stand So Close to Me campaigns this past spring, and ongoing
places to share Innovations in the Works as well as ideas on any topic at Think, Share and Collaborate!
Your Local VAN Team
We represent many sections and locations, but any of us are available to share updates, get you info, or join
your team meeting for an update. Don’t forget to send questions, ideas and stories any time!
Jennifer Estrella
Karen Hardy
Mark Hagan
Monica Bhatia
Autumn Liner
Tara Atkins
William Cuttler
Janice Dapper
Cherryl Clement
Jenni McCord
Jon Dowell
Candice Gibson
Amir Shahpar
Mark Spring
Monique Blyther
Tell Us YOUR Stories
Do you have a success story to tell? We’d love to hear about it, write about it or get a video from you! We
can share your successes with others in the Inner Loop, on EBBs or on InsideVDOT. Let your local VAN team
member know or shoot us an email! novapublicaffairs@vdot.virginia.gov
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Renée Hamilton’s
On Renée Hamilton’s last day as Deputy
District Administrator, NOVA couldn’t let
her leave without a heartwarming goodbye.
On June 24, a line of decorated vehicles
with amber lights flashing, horns honking,
and stereos blaring “Celebration” by Kool
& the Gang wrapped around the District
office parking lot—VDOTers past and
present rolling by to wish Renée farewell,
with masks, air hugs and socially-distant
selfies.
NOVA is where Renée spent the majority of
her 32-year career with VDOT, in addition
to time in Richmond, Culpeper districts, and
Central Office.
“It seems like only yesterday I walked
into the Richmond District as an
Engineer Trainee...I am so grateful for the
opportunity to have served the citizens of
Virginia and to have worked on so many
dynamic and transformative assignments.
The most memorable and rewarding
experience has been the opportunity to
work with so many amazing people. To
my VDOT family, thank you for all your
support and encouragement along the way.
Together, we have made a tremendously
positive impact on transportation in this
region.
VDOT will forever hold a special place
in my heart and you will always be my
family.”
A special thanks to everyone who helped
coordinate and participate in the parade!
Check out video highlights from the
farewell here.
Surprise Farewell
WATCH VIDEO
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COVID-19 RESOURCES
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Virginia Department of Health
• State Employee Assistance Program
• VDOT’s COVID-19 Information Page on
InsideVDOT has links to all of the latest
policies, documents and resources available
for VDOT employees
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We want to highlight the work you do to serve
the residents of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun,
and Prince William counties.
We share your stories here, on InsideVDOT, the
Electronic Bulletin Boards, VDOT-TV and social
media.
Have a good story? Tell us what’s happening!
novapublicaffairs@vdot.virginia.gov