Traffic Pattern Along Route 50 Set to Change Wednesday

The traffic pattern on Route 50 eastbound between Pleasant Valley Road and Stonecroft Boulevard will change on Wednesday.

Traffic will be diverted 50 feet to the north. Virginia Derpartment of Transportation will begin the shift on July 18 and work overnight. It will be entirely operational by the morning of July 19.

A notice from House of Delegates Member Jim LeMunyon advises commuters to allow for extra travel time initially because local drivers will be unfamiliar with the new traffic pattern. No access to or from side streets will be impacted and traffic will function normally.

In addition to the change in traffic pattern, scheduled rock drilling in the area began July 16 and will continue for the coming weeks. Rock drilling and blasting will only occur at the intersection of Route 50 and Willard Road up to the intersection of Route 50 and Pleasant Valley Road. Blasting will happen between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and is not expected to cause major delays. Some minor delays are predicted for Route 50 and cross streets within 300 feet.

. Construction on the 3.7 mile stretch of road between Route 28 and Poland Road. began earlier this year.

For more updates on the Route 50 Widening project and other traffic delays, follow Patch on Twitter and Facebook.