Public hearing: VDOT invites comments on Woodrow Wilson Avenue in Fishersville

The Virginia Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing focused on roadway and intersection improvements to Route 358 (Woodrow Wilson Avenue) in Augusta County in Fishersville.

The project seeks to alleviate congestion, reduce delays and enhance safety at the entrance of the Wilson complex, especially during morning and afternoon peak hours.

The public is invited to Wilson Elementary School, 127 Woodrow Wilson Avenue, Fishersville, on Thursday, July 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. to discuss the project on a one-on-one basis with VDOT officials and designers. Written comments are also welcome at the meeting or within 10 days to Mr. Anthony Pelina, Project Manager, Virginia Department of Transportation, 811 Commerce Road, Staunton, VA 24401-9029. Oral comments can also be recorded at the meeting by a court reporter.

The project supports recommendations from a Small Area Study conducted by the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization. An average traffic volume of 6,700 vehicles per day was reported in 2020 on Woodrow Wilson Avenue. By 2045, the estimated traffic volume is 7,500 vehicles per day.

Route 250’s average traffic volume in 2020 was 20,400 per day west of the intersection of Lifecore Drive, Route 250 and Woodrow Wilson Avenue, and 16,400 east of the intersection. By 2045, volumes are estimated to be 25,500 west of the intersection and 20,500 east of the intersection per day.

The Wilson complex contains an elementary school, a middle school, a high school, a regional technical education center, the state rehabilitation and workforce training center, some residential development and county-owned offices and maintenance facilities. The multiple purposes associated traffic demand are served by a single entrance, Woodrow Wilson Avenue, which connects to Route 250 (Jefferson Highway) at a signalized intersection. The peak morning queue extends up to a half-mile along Route 250 east of the intersection.

The project will

• Add a free-flowing right-turn lane from westbound Route 250 into the Wilson Complex, with a concrete triangular median on Route 250 to separate the right turn from the rest of traffic.
• An additional northbound lane on Woodrow Wilson Avenue will extend 2,400 feet to the intersection of with Hornet Road and Vo-Tech Road. This intersection will be replaced by a roundabout.
• Additional improvements include a separate right-turn lane from southbound Woodrow Wilson Avenue onto westbound Route 250, and signal-timing adjustments at the Route 250/Woodrow Wilson Avenue/Lifecore Drive intersection.

The project is estimated to cost $6,847,609, including $907,247 for preliminary engineering, $1,332,009 for right of way and $4,608,353 for construction. The project received funding from Virginia’s SMART SCALE program for prioritizing transportation improvements.