The update of the Goochland County major thoroughfare plan
(MTP) plods on. An overview of roads and traffic patterns in the county, the
MTP is part of the comprehensive land use plan, used a guide for land use decisions.
Essentially lines on a map, the MTP is an expression of the
county’s goals for expansion and improvement
of roads to smooth the flow of traffic. This helps Goochland compete for scarce
state and federal road dollars. The MTP is a tool to leverage landowners to include
road improvements including construction of turn lanes, rights of way donations,
and cash to mitigate offsite impacts in projects.
In March, the county held an initial informational meeting
at which some residents objected to items in the existing MTP, last updated in
2005. The county and KimleyHorn, the consultants retained to update the MTP, took note of citizen input and went back to
the drawing board.
On August 9, another meeting was held to outline changes
made to the proposed MTP using the March feedback. Another group of people expressed
opposition to a road they believed would pass close to their homes.
On August 29 the supervisors held a workshop to hear
consultant KimleyHorn’s update of the MTP based on input from previous
meetings. This proposal is available at http://goochlandva.us/DocumentCenter/View/4810/DRAFT---Major-Thoroughfare-Plan---August-2018
for your examination. It is divided into three service areas, west, central and
eastern.
The latest iteration of the proposed 2040 MPT includes a multi-lane
divided Three Chopt Road running north of Bellview Gardens to reconnect on the
east side of Rt. 288 via a tunnel. This would provide another outlet for traffic
on Broad Street Road and open a large swath of vacant land between Broad Street
Road and Interstate 64 for development.
Connecting Hockett and Ashland Roads from just north of
Hickory Haven to the stub on the south side of Broad Street Road, which was
rejected a few years ago due to objections from businesses and homeowners at
the north end of Hockett, is back in the plan.
Following a lengthy presentation, board members made
comments and asked questions. Not all of the remarks concerned the east end.
Susan Lascolette, District 1, asked if the proposed
Cumberland landfill, which would add many large trash trucks to those that haul
chickens, logs, and sludge to the traffic on narrow, winding roads in western
Goochland, had been factored into the recommendations. They had not.
Lascolette, also inquired about the impact of a proposed mega site development
in eastern Louisa County near the Interstate 64/Shannon Hill Road interchange,
whose traffic impact was not addressed either.
Expansion of Fairground to three lanes between Sandy Hook
and Broad Street Roads was a change from earlier MTP versions. This would raise
its level of service—(LOS) a measure of how well traffic flows—to D. The goals
is to have all county roads at a LOS of C or better. (The proposed plan has
good graphic representations of what different levels of service mean in terms
of traffic movement.)
Lascolette said that traffic on Fairground is not going to
get any better and contended it should be widened to four lanes or supplemented
with a new road better able to handle heavy traffic. John Lumpkins, Jr., District
3 questioned the utility of “improving” a road to a failing LOS.
Bob Minnick, District 4, said that a “fix” for the Hockett/Broad
congestion must be found, but is complicated by development on all four corners.
A new east-west
connector between Hockett Road and West Creek Parkway that resembles the
“spaghetti” model generated by meteorologists predicting hurricane paths was
thrown in to placate owners of several hundred undeveloped acres, some
landlocked that is now referred to as the Southern Prime Economic Development
Area (SPEDA). Minnick said that this road is a solution in search of a problem.
This too was shown at a failing LOS even before construction.
The proposed speculative east west connector between Hockett
road and Rt. 288 received much attention even though little insight about
development there has been provided by landowners. It does seem as though
widening the south end of Hockett Road is off the table. Lascolette characterized
the connection between the proposed east-west connector and West Creek Parkway as “pie in the sky that’s not going to work”.
Indeed, much of the rush hour congestion in the Hockett Road corridor seems to
be caused by overflow from Rt. 288, which is not part of the 2040 MTP.
Many of the suggested countywide improvements consist of increasing
shoulder width and adding bike lanes and sidewalks.
Only a handful of projects are “in the hopper” and funded. These include the roundabout at
Sandy Hook and Fairground Roads; the Fairground Road extension to River Road
West; improvements to the Rt. 288/Broad Street Road interchange; and a traffic
signal at West Creek Parkway and Rt. 6 by Hope Church, which is underway. Even
the funded and approved projects will not be completed for several years.
During citizen comment period of the September 4 Board
meeting, an attorney representing the SPEDA landowners said that the supervisors
should be encouraging growth in eastern Goochland; seeking consensus is “not
realistic” in dealing with land use matters, he contended.
County Administrator John Budesky said at the September 4
meeting that the MTP is a major effort and that the supervisors still have questions.
There will be two opportunities for comment at public hearings at the planning
commission in October and the supervisors in November. Recommendations from the
planning commission could result in changes to the proposed plan. “There is
still much work to be done on this,” Budesky said of the MTP. He encouraged citizens
to weigh in with their thoughts on the project.
Upcoming town hall meetings: Districts 4 and 5 October 3 at Hermitage
Country Club; District 1 October 23 at the Hadensville Company 6 Fire-Rescue
Station; and Districts 2 and 3, October 29 at the Central High School Cultural
Arts Center, which all begin at 7 p.m. will provide an opportunity to discuss
the proposed 2040 MTP.
Please take some time to look at the proposals and share
your thoughts with county administration on this.
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