Traffic pattern changing on Route 29 as improvement projects advance

Two intersections along the Route 29 corridor in Albemarle County will be closed in early September to accommodate construction activities on the Rio Road grade-separated intersection project. While the traffic pattern and access to some commercial entrances will change, all areas remain open for business.

On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the Virginia Department of Transportation will permanently remove the existing intersections on Route 29 at Fashion Square Drive and Albemarle Square. At both locations, the traffic signals will be deactivated and the crossovers blocked with barriers. Entrances into Fashion Square Mall and Albemarle Square will remain open to traffic making right turns into and out of both driveways.

The intersection closures are necessary for utility relocation work in the Route 29 median and for construction of retaining walls that will allow the Route 29 through lanes to be built beneath Rio Road.

Also on Sept. 9, temporary signal-controlled crossovers will open at Berkmar Drive, just south of Fashion Square Drive, for full access in all directions, and near Myers Drive, just north of Albemarle Square, where the only permitted movement will be U-turns from northbound Route 29 to reach the southbound lanes. VDOT has created a web page to provide detailed information about the closures and traffic impacts.

Motorists will notice that VDOT contractor Lane-Corman Joint Venture has begun work on both temporary crossovers, which will remain operational through substantial completion of the Rio Road project on Sept. 2, 2016. Lane closures are limited to nights between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. to minimize disruptions.

The Rio Road grade-separated intersection 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. To learn more, visit Route29Solutions.org.