Route 15 Lucketts Bypass: Take Survey by June 20

With the county’s stated goal of improving safety and decreasing congestion, a number of road improvement projects are in process along the corridor of Route 15 North. One of these improvements, the Lucketts bypass, is expected to directly impact JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary. Loudoun Wildlife is staying closely involved with this process to do everything possible to prevent the construction of a roadway from impacting the globally rare habitat at JK Black Oak. You can help us protect JK Black Oak by filling out the survey to tell the county that their route alternatives don’t work.

At the Board of Supervisors July 5, 2022 business meeting, the Supervisors approved a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPAM) to widen Route 15 from north of Montressor Road to the Maryland state line. One of the phases of these improvements is the construction of a bypass around the Village of Lucketts. In response to initial advocacy efforts, county staff prioritized a recommendation to the Board to avoid impacts to JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary. However, at the business meeting, an unexpected motion was made which resulted in a directive from the Board that the design study to determine the routes for the bypass only consider options to the west of the village of Lucketts where the Sanctuary is located.

In March 2020, Loudoun Wildlife purchased the 89-acre globally rare wetland now known as JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary, which is held under conservation easement. The potential paths that the bypass could take were presented at the June 4 public input meeting. Although we are grateful that the route that would have bisected the sanctuary was eliminated, of the four options presented, each has significant environmental issues and would negatively impact JK Black Oak. We are asking the county to reconsider the study area, as none of the contractor’s proposed routes are viable.

Click on photo of map to enlarge.

We need your help to protect JK Black Oak! Fill out the county’s survey by June 20 to tell the county that the route alternatives don’t work. After filling out your contact information and ranking why you care about the issue, select the “does not work” option for each of the four routes. For talking points to help with your explanation, see the Route Alternatives document that is color coded to the routes. Please contact tmills@loudounwildlife.org with any questions about filling out the survey. We need your voice!

So why don’t the route alternatives work? The Route Alternatives document gives the reasons for each alternative, but the problems can be summed up as follows.

Alternatives 1 and 2 would both follow part of New Valley Church Road and skirt the western border of the sanctuary. Each of these alternatives would have devastating impacts on Black Oak, turning the preserve into a biological island surrounded by high-volume, high-speed traffic on all sides. Alternative 1 also impacts another nearby conservation property, and Alternative 2 would worsen the isolation caused by the road due to closer proximity. Alternatives 4 and 5 present serious cultural and environmental justice concerns as both cut through the Hiway Mobile Home Community and harm the historic character of the village of Lucketts. Because of the lack of clarity on buffers and the actual boundaries of the project, alternatives 4 and 5 also run the risk of infringing on Black Oak’s stream.

The timeline of this project has probably been expedited and could be impacted by the county’s upcoming review of the Countywide Transportation Plan. Loudoun Wildlife will continue to monitor the progress on the Route 15 N bypass project, and we will post updates as further opportunities for public input become available. The county has set the next public input meeting for October 2025.

Since the Board will still be required to vote to approve a route alternative once they have been determined, you can also email your Supervisor to tell them to reconsider the study area to avoid impacts to JK Black Oak when the item comes before them (expected Winter 2026). Keeping pressure on the Board is important, so it’s not too early to let them know that we’re still here fighting for the wildlife that call JK Black Oak their home.

We want to thank the members of the public who attended the June 4, 2025 public meeting and those who spoke up and overwhelmingly responded to protect JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary during a survey in June 2021.

Additional information on the Route 15 widening: