Southbound traffic will shift on Route 29 widening project

The first major traffic shift of the Route 29 widening project is scheduled for Thursday night beginning at 9 p.m.

Southbound traffic will be switched to new pavement in the median from just south of Hollymead Town Center to Route 643 (Polo Grounds Road).

The movement of southbound traffic is the first of several traffic shifts over the next year while the 1.8-mile section of roadway is reconstructed and widened to six lanes between Route 1719 (Towncenter Drive) and Route 643. During this phase the roadbed will be constructed to the west and the existing southbound lanes will be rebuilt and widened to three lanes.

Motorists traveling south on 29 late Thursday evening and early Friday morning should anticipate brief delays due to the traffic shift. The switch should be complete by 6 a.m. and drivers using Route 29 on Fridaymorning should be alert for signs and other traffic controls directing them onto the new pavement. The speed limit through the work zone is 40 mph at all times. Inclement weather Thursday night will postpone the operation until Friday night.

The Route 29 widening project is one of eight Route 29 Solutions highway projects to improve safety and increase mobility along the Route 29 corridor in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Information about upcoming lane closures and other traffic impacts, as well as news about the projects, is posted on the Route 29 Solutions web site on the News and Traffic Alerts page.