Traffic alert: South entrance to Whole Foods in Charlottesville closed temporarily

The south entrance to the Whole Foods Market in Charlottesville is closed while Dominion Energy works to repair a transformer.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, the supermarket on Hydraulic Road asked a contractor for VDOT to close the entrance today after a transformer supplying power to the business malfunctioned.

During the temporary closure, customers may continue to use the north entrance off Hillsdale Drive to access the Whole Foods Market parking lot.

Drivers approaching from the south, via Hydraulic Road, will now bypass Hydraulic Road and continue west on U.S. 250 and then turn north on U.S. 29.

After Dominion crews complete the transformer work, the south entrance to Whole Foods Market will reopen.

The Hydraulic Road and Hillsdale Drive intersection is currently closed while the contractor reconfigures the junction into a roundabout. The newly designed intersection is expected to open on Aug. 13.

This project is part of a $24 million bundle of improvements fully funded through Smart Scale. It is designed to improve safety and efficient movement and increase multi-modal access within the Hydraulic Road and U.S. 29 area.