Ladysmith Road widening in Caroline starts Jan. 8

Caroline County

“Construction work will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 8 to widen Route 639 (Ladysmith Road) in Caroline County near Route 1 to create space to add a new left turn lane to improve safety. The $3.5 million Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) project will enhance safety by building a universal left-turn lane in the center of the roadway. Motorists traveling in either direction can use the lane to turn into entrances along Route 639.

A section of Ladysmith Road will be widened that is just over one-third of a mile–from Route 1 to a spot that is 0.35 of a mile east of Route 1. During construction, a temporary speed limit of 35 mph will be posted in the work zone. The speed limit will return to 45 mph once the project is finished.

A $1.4 million contract for construction was awarded to J.L. Kent & Sons, Inc. of Fredericksburg, Va. The project will be completed by May 2015. One eastbound and one westbound lane of traffic on Route 639 will be maintained during the project. Motorists should stay alert for temporary shifting traffic patterns and lane markings.”

~Writes the Caroline Progress

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Eco-Logical Pilot Project - Free Bridge Congestion Relief

Charlottesville/Albemarle Region

“The US 250 link across the Rivanna River known locally as Free Bridge. This bridge is a key connection for local and regional traffic, but continued use of this link will result in more congestion, economic development and public safety issues that must be addressed. Regarding congestion, there are currently 53,000 vehicles per day on Free Bridge and the overall level of service is an F. The MPO's travel demand model estimates that Free Bridge will have a daily traffic volume of approximately 70,000 vehicles a day in 2040, making Free Bridge's already failing level of service 25 percent worse.

The Eco-Logical process is an ecosystem based approach to developing infrastructure project alternatives. The approach differs from the typical approach by encouraging the evaluation of environmental considerations during the planning phase of a project prior to the point at which a project would normally go through NEPA review*. The process fosters interagency cooperation, as well as stakeholder involvement, in the development of new infrastructure. The goal of the process is to collaboratively develop project ideas in an effort to address significant impacts early on in the project development process.”

~TJPDC

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Downtown Improvement Project Begins Jan. 6

Town of Louisa

“Travel on Main Street could become difficult for drivers beginning January 6 when the Town of Louisa begins Phase II of the Main Street and Courthouse Square Pedestrian Safety Improvement project. According to a town press release, grant funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Transportation Enhancement Program will enable the town to replace decaying sidewalks, construct additional handicapped accessible crosswalks, add traffic calming measures and improve street lighting.

The $1.4 million project will also include installing trees, landscaping, brick pavers, benches and trash receptacles.  The area affected during phase II is between the areas of Fredericksburg Avenue and Ellisville Drive.”

~Writes the Central Virginian

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American Trails "Advancing Trails" Webinar Series

Webinar Series

“Accessibility is closely related to better trail design. The new guidelines provide a great opportunity for all trail planners and managers to identify ways to make their trail systems more sustainable and available to more hikers while maintaining the character of the trail and reducing maintenance costs in the long term.

  

The program is hosted by American Trails and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the presentation made by Janet Zeller, National Accessibility Program Manager, U.S. Forest Service. Learn more about the presenter here.”

~National Trails Training Partnership

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Should a Governor be prevented from firing a political appointee over policy disagreements?

General Assembly

“Delegate Tim Hugo (R-Centreville) has filed a bill for the upcoming session of the General Assembly that would prevent future governors from firing members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board for opposing their priorities. Current law allows the governor to remove a member of the board ‘at his pleasure.’”

~Writes Charlottesville Tomorrow

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Senator proposes casinos to pay for transportation

General Assembly

Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-18) offers a solution to paying for bridges, roads and tunnels: casinos. ‘Transportation is most near and dear to my heart, but I don’t like tolls,’ she told the audience during the annual Richard J. Holland Pre-Session Legislative Breakfast in the Smithfield Center on Friday. The event was sponsored by the Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce. The Virginia General Assembly convenes for its 60-day session beginning Wednesday, Jan. 8. Del. Rick Morris (R-64) and Sen. John Cosgrove (R-14) were also speakers for the occasion. Western Tidewater is included in each of their respective districts.

Stating that 39 other states legally allow casino gambling, she asked, ‘Why not Virginia?’ Lucas will again introduce ‘SB 19 Virginia Casino Gaming Commission; regulation of casino gaming, penalties.’

The bill, if passed, would not only create a gaming authority, but also allow casino gambling in qualified localities, such as being limited to places were at least 40 percent of the land is exempt from real property taxation. Further, the bill puts into law where the taxes go, with 90 percent would be directed to the Toll Mitigation Fund. That will be used to reduce tolls set up to pay for building and maintaining the Dominion Boulevard Bridge and Roadway Improvement Project and the Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/Martin Luther King Freeway Extension Project.”

~Writes Stephen Cowles of the Tidewater News

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Visit ‘Bike the Valley’

The Central Shenandoah PDC developed this website, which “accommodates and encourages bicycling in the Central Shenandoah Valley. It offers a comprehensive network of cycling facilities connecting neighborhoods, communities, and key destination points. Enjoy the maps connecting the counties of Augusta, Bath, Highland, Rockbridge, Rockingham; the cities of Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro, and the eleven towns that lie within.”

Click here to visit the site