Butch Davies updates area officials on transportation projects
Butch Davies |
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Davies said he is frustrated at the state’s inability to fund transportation projects.
“Where we had funding for projects, we do not have sufficient funding for building,” Davies said. Costs for materials and labor are accelerating rapidly each year, as does the cost of right of way. “In many cases now, right of way is costing more than the actual construction of the roads.”
However, Davies was optimistic at the state’s involvement in intermodal freight transportation, which he said will help limit the growth of trucks on the road. However, he also said that a huge port expansion at Hampton Roads will double the freight cargo needing transport.
“And with that growing capacity, Norfolk Southern is looking a rail-line which will carry piggy-back rail to Roanoke… to a new inland port,” Davies said. From there, freight will be transferred to truck, which could lead to increased truck traffic on US Route 29. Secondary roads throughout Virginia with at-grade railroad crossings should expect an increasing number of delays.
Davies also suggested that a look at Bus Rapid Transit for the US Route 29 corridor might be part of the coming $1.5 million US Route 29 Corridor Study that VDOT is currently putting out to bid. The study will look at ways to speed up traffic along Route 29 from Amherst north to Gainesville. Davies said communities to the south are seeking a limited access highway that would be Interstate-quality, but added that the real focus on Route 29 will come because of increased congestion on Interstate 81.
“Over the next eight to ten years, I think we’re going to see a growing use of the 29 corridor as an alternate for that north-south traffic,” Davies said. However, Davies said the study will involve input from each community along the way. “There is a realization that one size will not fit all… the corridor has changed so dramatically in the decade and a half since the last study… You’re really going to have to look at some innovative concepts.” He also said that there will be “some high-profile projects that are going to get funded” possibly with a bond issue.
Davies also gave local leaders an update on other projects in this area.
- Western Bypass: Davies said VDOT has acquired 90% of the right of way for the bypass at a cost of about $40 million. However, he said the remaining portion could cost as much as that which has already been purchased, given inflation. The alternative selected in the mid 1990’s is now obsolete, and there is no funding for construction. Davies said there has been talk about using the right of way for a smaller collector road. However, the Federal Highway Administration may ask for the reimbursement of federal funds used to purchase the right of way if the improvements are not somehow related to US 29.
- Meadowcreek Parkway: Davies praised the County for committing its VDOT revenue-sharing money to the project to keep it on schedule, as well as purchasing replacement parkland for the City of Charlottesville. Davies said the Parkway’s interchange with Route 250, which has a $27 million federal earmark that will allow bypass traffic to move through the intersection without stopping, is the “lynchpin” to solving a lot of issues.
- Hillsdale Drive Extension: Davies said funding for the Hillsdale Drive project may be threatened due to the state’s 44% reduction in funds for highway construction. Davies said Hillsdale is on something called “the yellow sheet” which means that its future depends on landowners along the right of way will donate their land. In all, Davies is hoping landowners will contribute at least $12 million of the $17 million required for the road, which he said would provide relief to Route 29.
- Second lane for US 29 Ramp at Best Buy: There are several projects to improve the Route 29 Corridor, and Davies is frustrated that VDOT is not committing to a City project to add a second southbound lane entering the Route 29 Bypass at Best Buy. The project may not get funded in the Six Year Plan, but Davies said he is doing what he can to provide other funding. “That piece is a major bottleneck, and with growing traffic in the 29 Corridor, it’s going to become more important that we address that now,” Davies said.
- Widen Route 29 between the Rivanna Rivers: A project to widen Route 29 between the South Fork of the Rivanna River through Hollymead is now off the Six Year Plan due to lack of funding. Davies said developers will pay for stretches of additional lanes on US 29, but the “hourglass” is one of the issues he hopes the US 29 Corridor Study will address with a “high-profile project.” For example, the North Pointe development and the UVA North Fork Research Park are expected to add some new lanes on portions of the highway between Airport Road and the North Fork Rivanna River leaving a constricted "hourglass" between Hollymead and the South Fork Rivanna River.
- Fontaine-Sunset Connector: Davies said he is worried about funding prospects for this road, which is desired by both the City and the County. He suggested that this project won’t move forward until localities can develop their own source of transportation funding, such as a local taxing district similar to what Fairfax and Prince William Counties use to pay for the Route 28 corridor.
- Eastern Connector: Davies said it is important for the community to get consensus on this proposed road, which he envisions as a collector road, and not a bypass. “It’s going to service the people who use that to be able to access other areas,” he said. But, he said it could create “political havoc” if the public is not behind the eventual alternative.
TIMELINE FOR PODCAST
- 4:00 - Davies is optimistic about freight
- 7:36 - Davies discusses how VDOT and CTB now include pedestrian and bicycle access in all road development
- 8:20 - Davies on rapid transit, and the idea of developing corridors for BRT and single-vehicle
- 9:31 - Davies discusses the coming corridor study for US 29 from Amherst north to Gainesville, including Charlottesville
- 14:30 - Davies gives an update on the US 29 Western Bypass
- 17:16 - Davies on the Meadowcreek Parkway
- 23:15 - Davies on the Hillsdale Drive Extension project
- 24:53 - Davies on other projects along US 29
- 33:00 - Board Chairman Ken Boyd asks for more information on US 29 corridor study
- 33:40 - Supervisor Dennis Rooker asks if consultant for study will be able to suggest a whole new highway to connect I-64 and I-66. In his response, Davies predicts that the study will not come up with a consensus across localities
- 38:50 - Boyd asks if the forthcoming 29 Corridor Study will incorporate results of Places29 study, and if so, whether that will allow the County to use primary road funds to build a bridge for Berkmar Drive Extended
- 41:00 - County Executive Bob Tucker asks Davies how much freight traffic will be taken off of US 29 by increased rail
- 41:41 - Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris asks for advice on getting the regional transportation authority, followed by a conversation about van-pools
- 48:26 - Councilor Julian Taliaferro asked Davies for his opinion on the Fontaine-Sunset Connector
- 52:25 - Rooker asks a follow-up question on the intermodal freight facility being built in Roanoke
- 58:10 - City Manager Gary O'Connell asks about funding for replacements of Belmont and JPA Bridges
- 59:20 - Rooker asks about VDOT's efforts to require railroad companies to pay for bridge repair projects
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