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Albemarle supervisors suspend Places29 panel

  In one of its last actions of 2014, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors temporarily halted the work of a volunteer group that advises the board on development and infrastructure projects in the county’s northern urban area.    “The Places29 Citizen Advisory Council seems to struggle quite a bit and I have waited and waited […]

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State seeks completion of Route 29 projects by fall 2017

Now that the Western Bypass is history, local government officials are preparing for a near future in which over $200 million worth of transportation projects will be built to alleviate traffic congestion on U.S. 29. The Virginia Department of Transportation is expected to hire one contractor to oversee design and construction of several projects, including […]

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MPO endorses U.S. 29 solutions, adopts long-range transportation plan

The local panel that approves federal transportation funding has endorsed a $203 million package of construction to address traffic congestion on U.S. 29. “I know that nobody got everything that they wanted and some people got some things they didn’t really want,” said City Councilor Kristin Szakos, chairwoman of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization. “But […]

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Places29 supervisors brief citizens on transportation projects

As the Virginia Department of Transportation waits for direction on how to improve the flow of through-traffic through U.S. 29, two Albemarle supervisors whose districts straddle the highway hope to educate their constituents on how a decision might be made. “I think people don’t really understand the transportation planning process,” said Supervisor Brad Sheffield, who […]

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Places29 council will not weigh in on bypass alternatives

An advisory group that oversees implementation of Albemarle County’s Places29 master plan will not take a formal position on alternatives to the now-defunct Western Bypass. “We’re not offering them anything that they haven’t already strongly considered,” said Heather Stokes, chairwoman of the Places29 Advisory Council. “I think they are strongly considering a substantial amount that […]

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State transportation body discusses bypass options

On the same day the Albemarle Board of Supervisors voted 5-1 to request the Virginia Department of Transportation defund the Western Bypass in favor of other projects, the state’s main transportation decision-making body discussed the matter for half an hour. The conversation before the Commonwealth Transportation Board took place after members received a letter from […]

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Albemarle puts new Northside library on fast track

A new location for the Northside library became a reality Wednesday when the Albemarle  County Board of Supervisors voted to spend $11.8 million to purchase and redevelop a building on West Rio Road. “After years and years of researching and trying to find a spot, and after exhausting all opportunities to improve the site where […]