Members of the Places29 Rio and Hydraulic Community Advisory Committees got a first look at the scope of the Rio-29 Small Area Plan at their meeting Monday. “It’s an opportunity to develop a vision for this [U.S.] 29 North Area,” said Vlad Gavrilovic, of Renaissance Planning, which is consulting the county on the effort. The […]
Tag: Rio Road interchange
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Albemarle moves forward with Rio Road small-area plan
The intersection of Rio Road and U.S. 29 is currently ensnarled by construction, but Albemarle County is seeking ways to tie the area’s future together. The Albemarle Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to approve a public engagement process for a small-area plan for the Rio Road intersection. Such a study was called for in the […]
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Preparation for U.S. 29 projects continues despite lawsuit
The Virginia Department of Transportation is proceeding with three major road projects in the U.S. 29 corridor despite a lawsuit claiming that federal and state officials unlawfully approved them. “I don’t think VDOT has changed their plans as a result of the lawsuit,” Larry Davis, Albemarle’s county attorney, said during a briefing to the Board […]
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MPO reaffirms support for Rio Road interchange
The regional panel that sets transportation policy in Albemarle County and Charlottesville has reaffirmed its support for several projects in the U.S. 29 corridor, including one project that has been singled out for a budget amendment in Richmond. “The Rio Road grade-separated intersection has been reviewed and planned many times since 1988,” reads a letter […]
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Opponents hold non-binding workshop for Rio Road interchange alternatives
A group opposed to a grade-separated interchange at Rio Road and U.S. 29 held a design workshop with a prominent urban designer Monday to try to come up with alternatives. Smart29 has been waging a campaign to fight the interchange, which is one of several projects approved by local and state officials to replace the […]
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Low bid for U.S. 29 projects comes in at close to $117 million
The Virginia Department of Transportation has opened price proposals for three major projects in the U.S. 29 corridor. A team consisting of Lane Construction Corporation, Corman Construction and RK&K have submitted an offer to design and build three of the Route 29 Solutions projects for $116, 746, 000. “VDOT will announce a notice of intent […]
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MPO considers priorities for unallocated long-range plan funding
The Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization began wrestling with an important question Wednesday: How to use nearly $100 million of unallocated transportation funding expected through the year 2040? For many years, the MPO has complained it was on the short end of state transportation investments. With the demise of the Western Bypass of U.S. 29, funds […]
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Rio Road interchange opponents organizing to block project
As the Virginia Department of Transportation prepares for an $84 million grade-separated interchange at Rio Road and U.S. 29, one business group said Thursday that it has met with attorneys to consider legal options to block construction. “We’ve spoken with several law firms, particularly about eminent domain,” said Charles Lebo, a spokesman for Smart29. “There […]
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Western Bypass right-of-way in process of being sold
With the elimination of the Western Bypass of U.S. 29, the Virginia Department of Transportation is now selling back land purchased for the project in Albemarle County. “I think that the homeowners that have been held hostage by the bypass for all these years are breathing a huge sigh of relief,” said Jane Fogleman, a […]
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Business group claims Rio Road interchange not needed
A group created to stop construction of a grade-separated interchange at Rio Road and U.S. 29 intensified its campaign Thursday by claiming that traffic volumes are not growing fast enough to justify the $84 million project. “Peak hour traffic trends are actually going down,” said Dexter Williams, a traffic engineer hired by Smart29 to review […]
