A proposed roundabout at the intersection of Richmond Avenue and Greenville Avenue near downtown Staunton is coming up short on funding.
Staunton applied for Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Smart Scale funding in 2016 and was awarded $2,245,805.
However, a November 2024 city council meeting update provided by city and VDOT staff shared the existence of a funding gap between the original budget and current estimates for the project.
“This got messy,” said Staunton City Manager Leslie Beauregard at the council’s regular February 27 meeting.
The new estimate for the project, which includes a road diet, raised medians and shared-use path, is now at $15.8 million, a $13.5 million funding gap the city was not anticipating. No VDOT funding is available for the road diet, for which the city will have to provide funding.
“We came back to you two weeks ago and said that VDOT had found a way to fund the roundabout at $7.5 million,” Beauregard said. “That was fully funding a single-lane roundabout.”
However, a portion of the VDOT funding is now in question.
“We don’t know what the means right now or how much of that would not be available,” Beauregard said. “VDOT has indicated they will know more within days, but here’s my question: what if VDOT cannot fund any of the roundabout?”
Staunton City Engineer Lyle Hartt said the city would have to fund approximately $5 million for the roundabout if VDOT funding does not come through.
“We’re kind of in limbo. We’re hoping that maybe it’s just a fear and the can get it, they’re pushing for it at least locally, but we wait and see,” Hartt said.
Council member Alice Woods said she preferred council not approve funding for the roundabout yet. The idea of a roundabout at the intersection of Richmond and Greenville avenues began approximately six to eight years ago.
“If it comes to where [VDOT doesn’t] have any money to give us, I would agree to just do a road diet and don’t even worry about a roundabout. I mean that’s something we can’t fund,” Woods said.
Mayor Michele Edwards and Vice Mayor Brad Arrowood agreed that council should wait on the project.
“It seems useless to talk in the theoretical since it’s all about funding. It was already a compromised project,” Arrowood said.
City council did approve funding for the Edgewood sidewalk project although Beauregard said that, according to VDOT, the city might be able to use funds from the Edgewood project for the roundabout.
“There are so many questions now about this roundabout. I’m very nervous about that frankly. It makes me a little bit scared to ask for a commitment to something without that information,” Beauregard said of council approving funding at its February 27.
VDOT said the city could have more time to consider funding for the roundabout project.
Beauregard said she has no way to know at this time how the city could come up with $5 million for the project.
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Rebecca Barnabi
