The Commonwealth Transportation Board granted the Lane/Corman Joint Venture a $116.7 million contract Wednesday to improve the Route 29 corridor in Albemarle County.
Lane Construction Corporation of Chantilly, Corman Construction Incorporated of Chesterfield and the engineering firm RK&K of Richmond are all part of the venture group.
Route 29 will be widened between Polo Grounds Road and Towncenter Drive. Additionally, Berkmar Drive will be extended from Hilton Heights Road to Towncenter Drive, and a grade-separated intersection will be constructed at Route 29 and Rio Road.
Utility relocations will begin this summer for the Route 29 widening, followed by roadway construction. Utility relocations for Rio Road will begin in May, and roadway constructions will begin this coming fall. Finally, roadway construction for the Berkmar Drive extension will begin in spring of 2016.
The three projects are set to be complete Oct. 30, 2017.
The projects are part of the Route 29 Solutions program, which includes eight highway projects to increase mobility and improve safety along Route 29 in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
The projects will allow for safer driving and less traffic on Route 29, Secretary of Transportation Aubrey L. Layne Jr. said in a Virginia Department of Transportation press release.
“These projects, and the rest of the Route 29 Solutions projects, will provide real safety improvements and real congestion relief for everyone who uses this corridor,” Layne said. “The award of this contract is a major step toward delivery of these critical highway improvements.”
Not all Charlottesville residents and businesses agree with the future construction plans of Route 29.
Grant Gamble, vice president of training and development at ACAC Fitness, said he believes the upcoming projects, especially the Rio Road construction, will impede business for Charlottesville business owners along Route 29.
“ACAC Fitness is on the Rio Road intersection and is consenting that the Route 29 coalition is going to limit access to businesses and vendors and it’s a real concern,” Gamble said. “Some places like ACAC Fitness are more of a destination and less of a convenience stop. It does become a factor if you’re thinking about where to sign up for a fitness club because it’s going to be so hard to get to, so you may go to another club downtown or not go at all.”
VDOT predicts traffic flow will steadily increase with population growth in the upcoming years, which is why they said they aim to improve the Route 29 corridor. However, according to data compiled by Gamble and other Charlottesville business owners, traffic will not necessarily increase with population growth due to new practices such as online shopping and new shopping centers outside of town.
Gamble said VDOT’s projections for traffic and population growth from 2005 are off by 40 percent yet they are continuing the project.
“Access Management Treatment is code for [VDOT is] going to cut access off, and we’re concerned that they’re cutting off access to businesses because their one priority is traffic flow,” Gamble said. “But, access to businesses via Route 29 is equally as important as traffic flow, so we’re calling for a balance between those things.”
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