ColinC writes: Charlottesville Mayor Mayor Maurice Cox says there will not be a vote on a traffic study request tonight. He says that the intersection of Emmet Street and Hydraulic Road needs a look for a number of reasons, including the possibility of Albemarle County allowing development there. A new resolution is possible in which Council may allow grade-separated interchanges, which it previously opposed. WINA reports.
From 91.9 WNRN (www.wnrn.org)
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on four six and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #
Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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Predictions, anyone?
What will happen at the public meeting? And what will we read in the Progress tomorrow?
A grade-separated interchange would be nice and all, and I’m sure that once it’s completed traffic would flow much more smoothly through that corridor. But lost in all the hubbub about what businesses will be displaced, and whose drawings are more accurate, and all that other crap is this one very important question: What the heck is going to happen to that intersection during the time it will take to build this stupid thing?
Let’s take the most recent 29N construction project as an example and try and apply what we learned from that to what might happen at Hydraulic/29. The bridge over the Rivanna up by Wal-Mart was under construction for about 5 years. Traffic through the area was a nightmare.
Now, think about what that would be like about four miles to the south. Traffic volume is about twice as heavy there. The intersection is the main point of convergence for traffic to and from several businesses, as well as AHS. There’s no place to divert traffic to, as the secondary roads are both out of the way and ill equipped to handle even the little traffic they carry now. Separating grade involves moving a whole lot of earth, and that takes a whole lot more time than dropping in some bridge piers.
Does anyone want to live with the hell of construction for the five or ten years it would undoubtedly take to build this monstrosity? People seem to be talking about this as if there was some way to just snap our collective fingers and will it into existence, but this interchange, in addition to the other two folks seem so gung-ho about building, would be a major inconvenience for a very long time while they are being built, and I’m not so sure that the benefits of having them there make that worthwhile.
Here are links to stories from the Progress and WINA.
Does anyone know, off hand, how much a grade-separated interchange costs?
I thinking here about about the one(s) perhaps planned for 29N as well as that (perhaps!) for the 250 bypass/North Grounds Connector.
Even just ballpark figures would be welcome . . .