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Holloway Road bridge removal planned to create floodplain bench; county outlines safety options
Summary
Fairfax County staff said removing the Holloway Road bridge will enable excavation of a floodplain bench (some excavations up to 12 feet) and that engineers will design a turnaround and guardrail or retaining wall to ensure emergency access and prevent vehicles from driving off the end of the road.
Jacob Green described the Holloway Road bridge as a constriction that limits how low the stream channel can be excavated and said removing it is part of the chosen scenario to reduce local flood risk. "Removing that bridge is going to create a dead end situation on Holloway Road; we also need to provide a turnaround for emergency vehicles," he said.
When asked how the county would stop drivers from going off the end of the road after bridge removal, staff said options include a retaining wall with guardrail or a graded slope depending on how much the sewer relocation allows them to push the excavation farther from the road. Jacob Green said some excavation will be as deep as 12 feet in locations to create the floodplain bench, which he described as a "big bathtub" to hold water during heavy storms.
Staff said the turnaround for emergency vehicles will be located on the north side of Holloway Road and that VDOT retains requirements for that stretch of road where it remains under state jurisdiction.
