Home Traffic alert: Expect significant delays starting Dec. 11 on Route 33 in Rockingham County
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Traffic alert: Expect significant delays starting Dec. 11 on Route 33 in Rockingham County

Rebecca Barnabi
road construction
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Motorists should expect significant traffic delays when construction begins on Monday, December 11, 2023 to enhance safety on Route 33 (Rawley Pike) in western Rockingham County.

The $12.9 million project stretches for 1.25 miles from Laurel Wood Lane to a half-mile east of Switzer Lake Road near the West Virginia border. The portion of Route 33 under construction is a mountainous stretch of road with several sharp curves.

Contractors for the Virginia Department of Transportation will enhance safety by widening travel lanes and shoulders, and improving curves during the approximately 18-months-long project.

Motorists are encouraged to remain alert for 24/7 shoulder closures and flagger traffic control as needed when the project begins on December 11. In January 2024, pilot trucks will begin to control traffic during daylight hours. Motorists may experience delays of 20 minutes or longer because of the length of the work zone and occasional controlled-blasting operations.

Motorists are also advised to be alert for slow-moving tractor-trailers and construction vehicles between the Rawley Springs area of Rockingham County and the West Virginia state line.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded a $12,944,921 construction contract to A.L.L. Construction Inc. of Mount Storm, W.Va., on October 20, 2023. The project’s contract completion date is June 19, 2025.

All work is weather permitting.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.