It's complicated

 

 

Transportation—in Goochland that means mostly roads—is a hot topic. It’s also a very complicated matter because our county is dependent on VDOT—the state agency whose motto is Oops!—to build, maintain, improve, and fund roads.

Thanks to the efforts of our supervisors, especially Board Chair Neil Spoonhower, District 2, and John Lumpkins, District 3, who serve on regional transportation boards, Goochland has a voice in the allocation of scarce road dollars. Our county competes with other jurisdictions in Virginia for transportation funds and plays a convoluted game of “mother may I” to get anything done.

The matter is so complex, that until Austin Goyne joined the Department of Community Development staff to oversee and concentrate transportation related subjects, roads were handled in a somewhat piecemeal fashion related to specific projects.

On Tuesday, September 5, Goochland supervisors held a transportation workshop.

Representatives from VDOT made a presentation about “hard shoulder running lanes” on southbound Rt. 288 between West Creek Parkway and Rt. 711 in Powhatan to ease rush hour congestion on the James River Bridge. A similar project for northbound 288 between Rt. 711 and Rt. 6 was also mentioned. Similar lanes are in operation in Northern Virginia and Tidewater.

A community information meeting for this project will be held on Wednesday, September 13 at James River High School, 3700 James River Road, Midlothian, 23113 from 5-7 p.m. Public hearings on the project are expected to be held in late summer of 2024. If approvals and rights of way are secured, construction on the estimated $39.5 million project could begin in early spring of 2026.

Essentially, hard shoulder running lanes use existing shoulders as traffic lanes during high volume hours. The VDOT rep explained that the lanes on 288 are 39 feet wide, which can accommodate an extra lane. Electronic message signs will indicate when the extra lanes are open. Cameras and other technology will feed real time data to the VDOT traffic operations center in Chester, which will control use of the extra lanes. Based on feedback from stake holders including fire-rescue and state police, the extra lanes will not be open during heavy rain and other extreme weather events.

Go to the nine-minute mark of the meeting video on the county website goochlandva.us under “watch county meetings” to hear the full VDOT discussion.

Goyne said that the Courthouse Village roundabout is in the final punch list stage, including mitigating drainage issues for Taylor’s Service Station, cutting the grass, and discussions about what might be placed in its center.

The supervisors recently voted to fund the extension of Fairground Road beyond the roundabout to connect with Rt. 6. This will create access to county owned land for economic development. There will be a public hearing on that project on November 16 at 5:30 in the Board Room to discuss the design.  A completion date in 2028 is anticipated.

Improvements to the Ashland Road I64 interchange, including the second bridge and diverging diamond, is the county’s number one transportation priority, said Goyne. He outlined the phases of the project and said that it is getting “positive traction” moving forward. If all goes according to plan, construction will begin in April 2025.

Goyne then discussed the Hockett Road realignment.

Residents of Centerville and the Hockett Road corridor expressed alarm when initial diagrams of the project showed removal of the signal at Hockett and 250 eliminating through traffic and left turns there. Goyne said that the final design for this project will first undertake a full level of signal analysis to see if the data supports retention of the signal and share the results with citizens. “If the data does point to a potential removal, we’ll have additional conversations about how to leave it.” The public and the board, said Goyne, want the signalized intersection to remain. May 2028 is the expected start of construction.

While roads are the main transportation focus in Goochland, micro and mass transit is also on the radar screen. Goyne said that extending a bus line to the vicinity of the Sheltering Arms Hospital was in the GRTC priority plan for FY 23 and back again in FY24 but lacked funding. The hospital has offered to build a shelter to accommodate the bus line extension. Medical offices in the Notch are also supportive. Funding, which would be covered by GRTC, and the logistics of bus routes seem to be the main roadblocks.

Goyne said that there is a Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) grant opportunity to fund a Goochland centric transit study, that would look at county borders, our people, their needs and how best to address those needs. The results of such a study could indicate that a commuter route might be appropriate in some areas, or more demand-driven micro transit. Goyne alluded to Jaunt, which provides rural transit in the Charlottesville area and advertises its services as “flexible, affordable, comfortable & convenient”.

The DRPT study, said Goyne, could identify which of eight potential providers might be appropriate for Goochland.

As with most things in the county the transit needs of Goochland are very different in the east than the west. Goochland Cares, which provides rides to medical appointments for its clients, was mentioned as knowing a great deal about transportation needs in the county.

There could be many ways to expand transportation options in Goochland, but solid data is needed to identify and focus on how it could be best provided and the cost.

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Goyne discussed the bewildering array of road funding sources including the VDOT Smart Scale program where road projects compete against each other for money; revenue sharing; and state and federal grants, some of which require a local match.

The roundabout at the westbound Oilville/I64 interchange, said Goyne, seems favorably positioned to receive funding because it is on a federal highway and backs up significantly into travel lanes during afternoon rush. Going forward, the design of this roundabout will differ from that on Fairground Road because it will have a slip lane to enable northbound traffic to turn right without entering the roundabout.

Sidewalks in Courthouse Village from Goochland Cares to Reed Marsh, 2,500 linear feet, will be funded by a Transportation Alternatives (TAP) $1.3 million grant with an 80/20(local) match. Goyne said that VDOT supports letting the county manage the project, which should simplify its completion. Susan Lascolette, District 1, observed that is $520 per foot. Goyne explained that the cost includes rights of way, design, moving a power pole, and replacing a failing sidewalk in front of the church/bank that is for sale.

Fairground Road needs are being analyzed to see which will be the best fit for its intersection with Maidens Road, enhanced turn lanes, or a roundabout.

Long story short, identifying and prioritizing needed road improvements and aligning them with criteria of various funding sources is a convoluted task. There are no fast and simple answers.