Haymarket VS South Riding construction projects> (Fairfax, Gainesville: buying a home, neighborhoods)

[rtloucks]

I was trying to search through here for useful info, but striking out. .

Just wondering how the 66 construction to and from Gainesville and Haymarket have turned out and if it is helping the traffic yet - and what the commute looks like now.

Also the same questions for 50 out to South Riding.

We lived there a few times and when we left the last time, they were working pretty hard on both expansions. Just wondering if it hass improved to the point that someone should be excited to move to one of those areas yet.

Thoughts?

[spencgr]

The construction on 50 has slightly improved the traffic, but the multi-year lane widening project on 606 is driving more cars onto 50. That and all of the new neighborhoods west of Stone Ridge make 50 a road I would rather not drive. I choose to go north and pay for the Greenway.

[rtloucks]

interesting, I guess I didn't think about people venturing from 66 to 50 out that way. Seems like it would add a bit of distance to the commute. But to each their own I guess. I was really hoping to hear that it has helped a lot, but maybe its doing nothing more than keeping it afloat sort to speak.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by rtloucks

interesting, I guess I didn't think about people venturing from 66 to 50 out that way. Seems like it would add a bit of distance to the commute. But to each their own I guess. I was really hoping to hear that it has helped a lot, but maybe its doing nothing more than keeping it afloat sort to speak.

Not people from 66, people that normally take 606 (Old Ox Road), which is the only other road that takes you west to 28 from South Riding/ Stone Ridge.

[Fantasticx]

wonder why they only added a lane to 50..
They need to add at least 2-3 more lanes again..

[snowdenscold]

Originally Posted by Fantasticx

wonder why they only added a lane to 50..
They need to add at least 2-3 more lanes again..

Uhhh, 6 lanes in each direction is not going to make things a lot better - there's a thing called diminishing returns. The ingress/egress points (e.g., a ton of traffic lights) are what makes things killer. Well designed grade-separated interchanges will help a lot more than additional lanes.

[ffx rez]

I can't imagine these roads ever getting better. As soon as construction is finished, there's just more houses being built farther down.

[rtloucks]

that's always the problem though. That, and the fact that city/county allows permits for those homes to be built just for some tax dollars which in turn costs them a whole lot more to build roads to get to the houses. I can't believe there isn't a cap space on the amount of homes to be built versus the amount of roadway in use or to be in use. Sometimes it seems like such simple economics but never seems to be put in place. I understand that people need homes

[NC211]

Originally Posted by ffx rez

I can't imagine these roads ever getting better. As soon as construction is finished, there's just more houses being built farther down.

This is one of the reasons why we moved from a new home to a 15 year old home. The area we're in now is fully built out with no more room to develop anything. Like the idea of a new home, but really grew tired of the constant construction after 4 straight years of it, with at least another 10 in front of us before being completely done. When folks ask me about moving to Loudoun, after they've come out and loved what they saw (model homes), I always tell them to look at their area of interest with a developer's mindset. Does it look like something a developer would like to develop? Because if it does, odds are it very well might be done.

[rtloucks]

I completely agree - if there's empty land somewhere, then someone will likely build on it no days. Which causes major concerns in traffic, infrastructure etc.

We gee tired of this there and when we lived in Charlotte Nc. Builders were popping up neighborhoods on every piece of farm land that was accessible. After 200 homes went up then on to the next. Eventually those single lane roads were jammed for hours with people trying to get to their new dream home. After they get through the stop lights and after the other 199 people get home too. It's sickening. Congestion just gets worse and worse. You're way better off buying a fixer upper closer in. My wife and I chose to use simple math when we debated about buying a home out in haymaket or in and older part of fairfax - I told her to take her salary and break it down hourly, then figure out how many more hours each week/year she is on the road and the multiply that by 1.5 because it's not just time, but quality time you're away from family - then times it by your salary, then times it by 8 (the average number of years one stays In a home) and then see what the price difference is between that great new home and a decent home closer in

Fairfax $650k
Haymaket $490k

125k salary is about $60 an hour
60x2(extra hours a day)X 20(days per month)x12 months=$28800 per year just in time. $230k over 8 years.That's not factoring in gas
Well that's a lot when decide that saving $150k to move far out is worth it. Then just imagine the stress one takes on too when doing the commute