State transportation officials given 30 days to present Western Bypass alternatives

Albemarle County:

“State transportation officials raced against the clock Thursday to produce alternatives to the derailed Western Bypass of U.S. 29. In a letter dated Tuesday, the Federal Highway Administration slammed the brakes on the project, citing numerous deficiencies, lack of local support and little regard for the growth and development along Albemarle County’s primary commercial corridor.

‘Our legal counsel has advised us to reassess the purpose and need of the project in light of the changes in the Route 29 corridor that have occurred over the past 20 years to determine if it remains appropriate,’ wrote Irene Rico, a division administrator with the highway administration. In light of the federal decision, state Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne accorded VDOT until March 19 to present alternatives to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Rico’s letter casts doubt on the potential for a revived Western Bypass, or any bypass, and a resolution Albemarle County supervisors passed Thursday night requested that the state consider appropriating funds allocated for the bypass to other local projects.”

~Writes J. Reynolds Hutchins of the Daily Progress

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