Thirteen transportation projects in Albemarle County and Charlottesville have been formally approved for funding.
On Wednesday, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved a multi-year funding package that includes projects in the state’s Smart Scale program. The scores from the fourth round of the funding prioritization process and the staff-recommended funding were presented earlier this year, and all of the area’s recommended projects were approved this week.
Construction on the projects is not expected to start until 2025 at the earliest and 2030 at the latest, depending on what year funding is allocated.
The city, county, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization may each submit a maximum of four applications. This year, they submitted a total of 15 projects, and 13 of those were recommended and then approved for funding.
Albemarle-submitted projects funded are to close the open median on the U.S. 250 corridor from People Place to Hanson Road; a roundabout at the intersection of Routes 20 and 53; a roundabout at the intersection of Old Lynchburg Road and Fifth Street Extended; and a roundabout at Rio Road and the John W. Warner Parkway.
Projects submitted by Charlottesville and funded are the third phase of the West Main Streetscape project; improvements at the intersection of Preston and Grady avenues; the second phase of streetscape improvements along Emmet Street; and multimodal transportation improvements on Ridge Street between Cherry Avenue and West Main.
Improvements at the intersection of U.S. 29 and Hydraulic Road and interchange improvements at Fontaine Avenue and the U.S. 29 Bypass were projects submitted by the MPO and funded.
The TJPDC-submitted projects funded are a shared-use path on U.S. 29 from Carrsbrook Drive to Riverside Center; a park-and-ride lot at Exit 107 off Interstate 64; and a trail hub and trails at Fifth Street.
Area projects that were not funded are a restricted crossing U-turn at the intersection of Frays Mill Road, Burnley Station Road and U.S. 29 and a project to extend Hillsdale Drive south and connect it to U.S 250 westbound. A project to build a shared-use path in the median of Route 20 was not supported by the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors.
Roundabouts at Troy Road and U.S. 250 in Fluvanna County and Route 631 and High Street in Orange County also were funded in the district.
In May, the CTB added funding for a new left-turn lane on South Boston Road and to improve approach sight distance at Lake Monticello Road in Fluvanna.
A multi-district project that would increase rail capacity along the U.S. 29 Norfolk Southern corridor also was funded.
Applications for the fifth round of the Smart Scale process are due in August 2022.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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