By Tim Cherry
Staff writer
Thursday, February 14, 2013

A construction crew will temporarily close two sections of 12th street for maintenance on weekdays beginning Monday through Feb. 28 from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., each day.

Bowen Engineering Corporation will block off the intersection of Hannah Lane and 12th Street the next week. The corporation will then block off the road between the South Post Child Development Center and Fort Belvoir Chapel the week of Feb. 28.

Both road closures will allow Bowen to replace water main pipes underneath the street. During the scheduled work hours, traffic will be allowed to travel on 12th Street and detours will be set in place to navigate motorists around the closures, according to Kyle Autry, Bowen Engineering Corporation project engineer.

“As long as motorists adhere to our detours, it shouldn’t impact traffic too much on 12th Street,” Autry said. “Follow the detours and the signage we’ll have in place to help with navigation and you’ll get around safely.”

The maintenance project’s purpose is to replace a worn water-main pipe. Autry said the pipe requires treatment because of its age and emphasized that water quality is not an issue.

“It just the pipes are old and we’re rehabbing the mains,” Autry said. “Upgrading the system will help prevent water leaks and provide the post a better quality system.”

The maintenance will consist of removing surface road to access the pipes, replacing the pipes and then repaving the street. Construction crewmembers will place temporary steel plates on top of the construction site after work hours to open the street to traffic during evenings and weekends.

Fred Carter, a Directorate of Public Works civil engineer, said the detours will reroute traffic from Gunston Road to Stiles Road and Gillingham Drive during maintenance work at the Hannah Lane intersection. During maintenance at the CDC site, traffic entering from Belvoir Road will be rerouted to Gillingham Drive and Troth Way.

“The construction crew will be maintaining traffic flow around the area,” Carter said.

Minus a few parallel parking spots near Hannah Road, Autry said motorists will still have access to the parking lots and the facilities located on 12th Street. This includes access to Specker Field House, the parking lot next to Van Noy Library and the lot across the street from the CDC and chapel. However, Autry said motorists can’t use any parking lot to travel around a construction site. They must adhere to detours to travel around the sites.

“Local traffic can utilize the parking lot but you can’t use it to cut through and bypass the road closure,” Autry said.