The Route 15 Lucketts Bypass

What This Means: Our Position

While a bypass to the east of Route 15 would have minimal impact on JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary, any type of bypass placed to the west of Route 15 will have a direct impact. LWC has advocated for alternative solutions to the roadway issues other than a bypass, and we still believe if a bypass is to proceed, the option that would best correct the congestion and safety problems in this area would be on county land east of Route 15, with proper screening and buffers to alleviate safety concerns. But we stand with Lucketts residents who need safer, less congested roads, and we are willing to consider placing the mini-bypass on the far eastern edge of our property, if safety and other protections for people and wildlife are built into the design.

County staff have said that ‘nothing is off the table yet’ regarding which alignment the project ultimately takes. Two specific options are currently before the public through competing SmartScale applications: the mini-bypass and the four-lane Proposed Alignment A. At the September 29 meeting, Deputy Director of Transportation Heather Dietz said the new mini-bypass proposal reduces the project’s footprint on JK Black Oak from 30 acres to 10. The alignment has also continued to shift further east, in response to feedback LWC and others have provided. We appreciate the county’s willingness to work with us and adjust the design accordingly. 

However, much about the mini-bypass itself also remains unclear. The county has said it is investigating increased buffering and wildlife crossings, but these remain claims, not confirmed commitments. Preliminary engineering and geotechnical work, including testing for karst (the unstable limestone terrain common in this area), could still reveal feasibility issues that change the alignment, the design, or whether a road can be built here safely at all. We are not treating any current plan as final and as such, cannot endorse the mini-bypass as currently proposed.

If the project is to proceed on the west side of Route 15, it should only be at a low speed and small-scale, hugging JK Black Oak’s eastern property line as much as possible to minimize habitat disturbance.  Any sanctuary land east of the road would be fragmented from the rest of the sanctuary, too small and isolated to support much wildlife. This area would essentially be rendered desolate habitat; the “boxing in” would leave the ecosystem unproductive and uninhabitable for the wildlife that currently depend on it.

We remain firmly opposed to Proposed Alignment A, the four-lane bypass option. At $273 million, more than six times the cost of the mini-bypass, it would require significantly more land takings and would cut JK Black Oak off from the surrounding land, severing the migration corridors wildlife depend on.

The mini-bypass would still be a real compromise for LWC. Even a smaller footprint does not mean a smaller impact. Noise, light, and changes to water movement from a road on even 10 acres can reach vernal pools, breeding sites, and migration corridors across the rest of the sanctuary. A project that would have restored 15 acres of the sanctuary into new wetlands, increasing its conservation value beyond what exists today, would also no longer be able to move forward.  

We are asking the county to respect that with a fair process that includes the neighbors it affects, LWC and the Hiway Mobile Home Community among them. No matter how the project proceeds, we are committed to protecting the vital and globally rare wetland habitat we protect at JK Black Oak. 

What We Need: How to Get Involved

We need your voice. You can act right now: submit the county’s official comment form, email your Supervisor to tell them to protect JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary, and share your concerns with the county’s Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure (dtci@loudoun.gov). Use the concerns below as a starting point. We’re also working on a more detailed guide if you’d like to refine your comments further before the October 30th deadline. If you have questions, contact LWC Board President Amy Ulland at aulland@loudounwildlife.org.

Here are our primary concerns still to be addressed:

• Right-of-way: Our strong preference remains for the roadway to be placed east of Route 15. If that isn’t possible, the physical footprint must be placed along JK Black Oak’s easternmost property line to minimize impact. 
• Roadway speed: The county must commit to the roadway being no more than 35 mph. Lower speeds mean less ecological impact from noise, vibrations, and wildlife-vehicle collisions.
• Buffering: In order to protect the ecosystem immediately to the west and the residential community immediately to the east, screening and shielding should be substantial to minimize noise and safety concerns.
• Wildlife crossings: The county should put innovative amphibian and reptile crossing solutions in place, such as fencing that guides animals safely toward tunnels or culverts under the road, to prevent the most at-risk wildlife at JK Black Oak from facing a disproportionate impact from the roadway. 

The public comment period for this project is open through October 30th. This deadline comes before two key milestones: SmartScale scoring results, expected in December, and the state’s public comment period ahead of the Board of Supervisors’ expected alignment decision in early 2027.

We continue to be grateful to everyone who has already attended public meetings, filled out the county’s survey, commented to the Board, and stayed engaged. Thank you. Stay tuned for more ways to help protect JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary’s future