It’s time for the annual influx: this weekend, the students return, with UVa’s fall session starting on Monday. Somewhere between 5k-10k visitors will accompany the student body, which will include 3,100 incoming freshmen. Traffic should be as bad as always, so plan to avoid Emmett St. and West Main St. Kate Andrews has the story in today’s Progress.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
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
foursix 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 #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
As a full-time resident of Blacksburg (I stayed through the summer, packing in the credit hours in hopes of getting my degree with just 16 months spent here), I got to be here when the population sagged to about 10,000 people, so I had that sense of “damned students…” when they all returned this past weekend. Of course, I am a student now, meaning that my irritation is not just stupid, but hypocritical.
Not that it’s stopping me.
that is our roads!!!!
joking
but seriously, i hope they don’t plan on making a early on Friday between the hours of 9-3 with one lane on 29 near the HTC.
BTW, I heard this rumor the freakin county wouldn’t allow the construction people to do that work at night. SHAME ON YOU COUNTY!!!
BTW, I heard this rumor the freakin county wouldn’t allow the construction people to do that work at night. SHAME ON YOU COUNTY!!!
Lord, I hope that’s not true. I haven’t experienced it, but I’ve certainly read and heard about it — that traffic is a horrible mess. Any steps that could be taken to lessen the impact would be a great improvement.
well the paper had a front page about it today. Since I work near all the construction, I can tell you I see traffic a big mess with all types of people using 29. Not just our normal commuters, I saw this one target truck just setting there.
Actually I will be one of those 3000+ students but I grew up and live here. As far as 29 construction goes… they did side against night construction because of the cost (would you want to work at night for the same price as day?) Im just happy something is finally being done as far as road improvement around here.. The county and especially the city lag when it comes to constructing roads and improvements…. Same old arguements the bypass will destroy homes and enviroment… parkway will destroy a narrow strip of unused ugly parkland…. So long as we keep these people who would rather spend our tax dollars on studies for roads that they never get to, the more congested traffic will become… The city got rid of Cox now lets get rid of the other hug-a-tree Lynch….
Sign- a Rio Road resident that can never get out of their neighborhood
…Not to mention the bypass will cost a quarter billion dollars, and according to private, VDOT and USDOT studies, will not do a damned thing to alleviate traffic.
YEA!!!!
we need more cars on 29, that is going to solve the problem, MORE LANES! I bet in 5 years we should have 10 lanes on BOTH SIDES!
The bypass will not reduce traffic on 29.
According to every source (VDOT, USDOT, private and academic), by 2010 29 will be gridlock (F, on an A-F scale), if we do nothing.
By 2010, 29 will be gridlock if we build the bypass, according to the same sources.
Part of the solution is to add lanes to 29, but that has already been done, and it actually has helped traffic flow in some areas, if you can believe it.
The real solution is to add interchanges to the intersections at Rio, Greenbrier and most importantly, Hydraulic. This will have a negligible affect on businesses and will be incredibly beneficial to traffic flow. According to all of the sources cited above, if we add the three interchanges, and do nothing further, 29 will rate a B, or mostly free-flowing. It currently rates a D… near gridlock.
The only benefit of a bypass would have been a faster route for thru-travelers, but because of development North and South of the planned bypass, that benefit has been largely negated.
And either bypass or interchange would significantly affect me, though the interchange moreso, so I guess you can’t call me a NIMBY’er. Also, though I haven’t done quite the same research for the MCP, I tend to support it, so I guess I’m not the anti-any-new-road type either. I just object to spending $40 million per mile on a road that will do no good.
I’m sorry… I think you guys got the impression that I support the bypass.. I was just using it as an example of roads that we never get to that are still an issue…All Im saying is either build it or not and then get on with other things… this area has been dwelling over the bypass for 17 years and the parkway for 30 years. Meanwhile, the city’s population is at about 40 something thousand(expected to rise due to those 2,000 new housing units that will be available in the next five years), the county’s population is at about 90,000 and climbing, fluvanna and greene continue to rank in the top 10 fastest growing counties in VA…all this is great but where are the new roads that go along with it…. What I think are solutions…interchange at rio, greenbrier, HYDRAULIC; Meadowcreek parkway from proffit to 250, eastern connector from pantops area to airport area, widen 250 to 6 lanes to 64, 4 lanes to fluvanna, hillsdale and berkmar extensions, and when these new roads are built do not make them 2 lane curvy roads(they dont work-look at rio road past CATEC), 6-8 lanes all the way to greene, emmett street to 4 lanes, and finally dont spend tons of money of studies when we know what the outcome will be… anyone that lives here could have told them the 29H250 intersection needed an interchange…