VDOT has provided a listing of local transportation projects that they just won’t have the money to fund–a whopping 44% reduction in funds–and Sean Tubbs lists them for Charlottesville Tomorrow:
Project cuts on primary roads include:
- Corridor improvements on Route 29 north of Charlottesville city limits (widening and safety improvements on Route 29 between the South Fork Rivanna River and Hollymead Town Center)
- Corridor improvements on Route 250 east of Charlottesville City limits
- A project to replace the bridge over the CSX Railway ¼ mile west of McIntire Road
- A project to replace the bridge over the CSX Railway at Shadwell
- A project to replace the bridge carrying Route 601 over the Route 29/250 Bypass
Project cuts on secondary roads include:
- Reconstruction and add lanes for Route 649 (Proffit Road) from Route 29 to Baker-Butler Elementary
- Widening of Route 601 (Old Ivy Road) from Route 250 to the 29 Bypass to four lanes
Also, the Hillsdale Drive Extension will receive no more funding until 2014. The list for all of Virginia is available on VDOT’s website.
Wow. Anybody know anything about those bridges, or if they will at least get repairs? This is pretty bad timing for VDOT with the Giles County bridge collapse a couple of weeks ago. The condition of our roads is increasingly becoming an embarrassment when compared to other states.
The 29N and 250E corridor work is prompted by development (over-maybe).
Does this mean the developmet will be halted until VDOT can fund the improvements?
Well, actually, this is sort of a relief. I mean, I’m sorry that the roads are falling apart and all, but If there’s no money to keep up the roads, then I guess the county will have to stop approving new housing and absurd new commercial development.
Uh…. won’t they?
van and Hawkins:
Yes and no. The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has some tools to restrict development in the growth area, for example requiring transportation money from developers as a proffer for approval. So this will probably put a further brake on development in the Growth Area. That said, by-right development outside the Growth Area and in surrounding counties is currently unrestricted, so much of the growth will be displaced further out, making a bad situation worse. So, we can expect somewhat less growth (already slowed somewhat from the national housing problems), but relatively more growth further out and more congestion overall.
Maybe it’s time to start looking at alternate funding and transportation mode strategies?
That bridge over the CSX tracks is one of the lowest rated in the city, if not the lowest. It is apparently much more deteriorated than the Belmont Bridge, which the city must pay a big bill to replace. I’ve posted before how to look up the sufficiency ratings for bridges, it’s kind of wanky. But that bridge carrying the bypass over the CSX tracks is the worst one I found.
I heard on the radio that there would be a hold on the downtown improvements too so at least they are cutting back in all areas. I think it will be okay if we don’t have 2 fountains on the downtown mall right now and we don’t replace every brick. I think downtown has lots of character without all the “improvements” that were in the plans. For example: I don’t think it’s necessary for the city to have uniform dividers between all the businesses. So it sounds like they’re being smart about the improvements that are being made and they are just trying to stick with the absolutely necessary ones because of the lack of money.
Kelly, this is off-topic, but we just posted an article at Charlottesville Tomorrow about the Mall renovation discussion from the other night.
To get us back on track, I’ll also suggest another link to one of our articles. Barbara Reese, Virginia’s Deputy Secretary of Transportation, spoke Monday at a Transportation Town Hall organized by Delegate Toscano. She gave a presentation on the cuts and explained why they were made. She also presented Governor Tim Kaine’s solution. We have the audio from the two-hour event, along with a timeline so you can zoom in to the section you want to hear.