Route 29 advisory panel holds first meeting Thursday

The Route 29 Project Delivery Advisory Panel will hold its first meeting Thursday at the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research. The 12-member panel will advise the Virginia Department of Transportation during design and construction of the improvement projects along the Route 29 corridor in Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville.

“Communication and coordination with the community will be critical to the success of these projects,” said John Lynch, VDOT’s Culpeper District administrator. “The advisory panel represents the groups that will be most directly affected by these projects and we will work closely with them as well as others to ensure that the projects are designed and delivered with consideration for their impacts on those who live, work and travel along Route 29.”

The group includes representatives from the city and county governments, local businesses and the environmental community. Charlottesville Mayor Satyendra Huja and Jim Tolbert, director of neighborhood development services, will represent the city. Albemarle County Supervisor Brad Sheffield and Mark Graham, director of community development, will represent the county.

The business community along the Route 29 corridor is represented by Peter Borches, president of Carter Myers Automotive Properties; Eddie Giles, owner of Professional Movers Inc.; Chuck Lebo, owner of Lebo Commercial Properties Inc.; John Nunley, president of Better Living Inc.; Karen Weiner, manager of Fashion Square Mall; and Henry Weinschenk, CEO of Express Car Wash Inc.

Also serving on the panel are Chip Boyles, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission; and Morgan Butler, senior attorney at the southern environmental law center. The panel’s work will be facilitated by Philip Shucet.

The advisory panel’s first meeting will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday at VCTIR, 530 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903. The meeting is open to the public to observe the discussions, but public comments will not be taken during the meeting. The public can submit comments on line at www.Route29Solutions.org.

The panel’s meetings will be live-streamed over the Internet and podcasts will be posted to the Route 29 Solutions web page after the meetings. A link to the Internet streaming service is also posted on the project web page. More information about the proposed Route 29 improvement projects can be found on VDOT’s web site, www.Route 29 Solutions.org.