After two months of bumper to bumper traffic, Route 340 opened up several days earlier than scheduled. The route was temporarily closed on September 12, 2023 for the installation of rock barriers and improvement of the roadway. Originally, the project was supposed to end on December 12, 2023. Despite rumors of its delay, the project ended early on Friday, December 1, consequently eliminating delays. The temporary traffic lights were removed and the detours down Route 9 and Harpers Ferry Road ended as the flow of traffic returned to its normal pace. Since the reopening, there have been minimal delays and virtually no traffic. Students, teachers, and commuters are no longer waiting in the hour-long backups. 

Current junior at Woodgrove, Zackary Hamrick, experienced the effects of the traffic. He explained that the traffic had both disadvantages and advantages. He stated, “Honestly, it’s kind of nice because I don’t have to wait in the extremely long lines of traffic. There is a part of me that does miss the traffic as it was easier to pull onto Route 9. All in all, it’s awesome that Route 340 is open.” However, Route 340 reopening affected more than just students. Businesses in Western Loudoun experienced the effects of the road closure as well.

868 Estates is one of the many wineries in Western Loudoun who saw an incredible decrease in reservations because of the delays. They had to warn potential reservations of the delay and traffic. Tasting Room Manager, Kimberly Poncin, explained, “Our group reservations were down significantly at what is normally the busiest time of the year, autumn. We had to let people know about the road closure when they were making a reservation and many of them declined to come to our establishment and went elsewhere.”

Despite the disadvantages the road closure caused for everyone involved, the rock barriers are now protecting drivers from falling rocks – making it safer for everyone. In addition, businesses are seeing a return in previous customers and hope for new ones as well.