An $8.17 million plan adds a westbound right-turn lane and limits driveways on East Market Street near the Route 15 Bypass. See it Thursday, Nov. 5; comment by Nov. 16.
The Town of Leesburg will show its plans for East Market Street between the Route 15 Bypass and Plaza Street at a public hearing in two weeks. The open house runs 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in the multipurpose room at the Douglass Community Center, 407 E. Market St.
The project adds a dedicated right-turn lane on westbound East Market Street between Fort Evans Road and Plaza Street. The town said Thursday that it aims to ease congestion and improve safety on the corridor. Its hearing announcement sets out the plans.
The current cost estimate is $8,170,000, covering design, land, utility moves and construction. That figure is in the hearing brochure, which also gives the schedule. VDOT SMART Scale money has been awarded to the project.
What the plans include
The brochure lists these design features:
- a dedicated westbound right-turn lane between Fort Evans Road and Plaza Street
- right-in, right-out only access for driveways between Plaza Street and Fort Evans Road
- changes to the left-turn lane from eastbound East Market Street onto the northbound Route 15 Bypass
- new sidewalks, crosswalks, push buttons and curb ramps to Americans with Disabilities Act standards, including at the Plaza Street and Edwards Ferry Road intersections
- more street lighting
- signs and pavement markings to slow westbound traffic
Two options are on the table. The town’s preferred design puts a median down East Market Street between Plaza Street and Fort Evans Road to enforce the driveway limits. The other option has no median, only pavement markings, with wider lanes. The brochure says both need about the same amount of extra land.
No homes or families will be displaced, the brochure says. Some extra right of way and easements may be needed, and owners will be told during land acquisition. Speed limits stay as they are, including 25 mph just west of the bypass.
Why the town says it is needed
The brochure gives these figures for the corridor:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Vehicles a day on East Market Street (VDOT, 2024) | 35,000 |
| Reported crashes, 2021 through 2025 | 91 |
| Angle crashes | 42 (46%) |
| Property damage only | 65 (71%) |
| Pedestrians and bicycles at Plaza Street (2026 count, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.) | 245 and 45 |
| Pedestrians and bicycles at Fort Evans Road (2026 count, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.) | 198 and 44 |
No one was killed in a crash in the study area in those five years. Loudoun County local bus routes 57 and 70 stop on the stretch.
When it would be built
Do not expect construction soon. The brochure’s schedule is:
- Detailed design complete: fall 2027
- Land acquisition and utility relocation begin: winter 2027-28
- Construction advertised: winter 2029-30
- Construction begins: spring 2030
- Construction complete: fall 2031
The brochure warns that the timing depends on land and utility work, which is hard to predict. The town’s project page still gives fall 2030 as the estimated completion date.
What it means for you
If you turn off East Market Street into a store or business between Plaza Street and Fort Evans Road, the driveway limits matter most to you: left turns in and out would end. This hearing is the time to say whether you prefer the median or the no-median option.
You can drop in any time between 7 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 5, view the displays and talk to town staff. Comments can be spoken to the court recorder on the night or left in the comment box. Written comments are due by Monday, Nov. 16. Send them to project manager Christine Roe at CRoe@LeesburgVA.gov or 552 Fort Evans Road NE, Suite 300, Leesburg, VA 20176, with “East Market Street Improvements (Rt. 15 Bypass to Plaza Street)” in the subject line. To see the plans in person before then, call 703-737-6067 to book a time.
The 30% plans, the draft traffic analysis and the environmental review are on the project webpage. Other road projects around town, including the Evergreen Mill Road widening, are on our road construction and closures page.
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