Loudoun County, Virginia’s Board of Supervisors is set to approve the use of eminent domain to acquire land to build a new four-way signalized intersection, near the site of the 2017 crash that killed Erin Kaplan, and severely injured several members of her family.
Kaplan was killed while driving along winding Evergreen Mills Road outside Leesburg, when an out-of-control, dilapidated food truck ran the stop sign on Watson Road and plowed into her station wagon. The truck was driven by Tony Dane, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and other charges related to failing to care for the bus, which prosecutors called “a ticking time bomb.”
Last year the county began acquiring land to build a new intersection, which would involve rerouting Watson Road several hundred feet up the hill from where it currently meets Evergreen Mills. After realignment, Watson Road and nearby Reservoir Road will intersect with Evergreen Mills.
Lauren Norkin is one of the homeowners who lives near the proposed new intersection, and would lose a portion of her property.
She and her neighbors say the county has ignored their concerns that the new configuration doesn’t address sight stopping distances on the winding, hilly, two-lane Evergreen Mills Road.
In a WTOP interview, Norkin said residents who live on Reservoir Road believe it would remain dangerous even with the new configuration, despite the introduction of a traffic signal at the intersection.
For drivers on Reservoir Road who are sitting at a stop sign, they can’t see cars traveling north, downhill on Evergreen Mills Road who are often going faster than the 35 miles-per-hour speed limit sign, according to Norkin.
“By the time you see that car coming over the crest, we’ve said all along there’s not enough sight stopping distance at Reservoir Road. That’s absolutely the worst possible place that you could manage to put an intersection,” she said.
Traffic signs and signals may not prevent accidents
While the plans call for the intersection to be signalized, Norkin said she doesn’t believe that will prevent crashes.
“Stop lights and stop signs don’t physically reach out and stop people. You have to rely on somebody to stop and obey them,” she said, pointing out that Kaplan was killed when Dane ran the stop sign.
Asked if she was opposed to the new configuration because she would have to lose some of her property, Norkin said her house wouldn’t be affected, but a small portion of her property would be.
“We’ll lose, maybe three quarters of an acre along Evergreen Mills Road — I don’t have any issues with that,” Norkin said. “I think this should be a four-lane road — we knew about that before we bought the property, so how can we complain?”
However, there’s little indication the county plans to widen the road now.
“The four-laning can’t happen until there’s a replacement bridge over Goose Creek — they have to go hand in hand.”
Goose Creek runs a few dozen feet from the point where Watson and Evergreen Mills currently meet. Norkin said she would gladly give up additional land to have a wider, less hilly Evergreen Mills Road.
“I’m like, ‘take more, just keep us all alive,'” she said.
When the matter is brought up Wednesday, the Board of Supervisors staff recommends adopting the resolution approving use of eminent domain to acquire the land.
County spokesman Glen Barbour said it’s unclear whether the Board will go along with staff recommendations, and would likely forward the item to the Oct. 7 business meeting for action.
Here is a map of the intersection in Loudoun County, Virginia:
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