VDOT schedules location, design public hear for Route 11, Route 704 projects

VDOT will hold a Location and Design public hearing concerning improvements to Route 11 (South Valley Pike) and Route 704 (Cecil Wampler Road) in Rockingham County. The meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m., Thursday, December 6, 2018 at Bridgewater Town Hall, 201 Green Street, Bridgewater, Virginia 22812. The inclement weather date is Thursday, December 13, 2018, same time and location.

Citizens can come in during the meeting hours and discuss the project on a one-on-one basis with VDOT officials and designers. Written comments can be submitted at the meeting or within 10 days after the meeting date to Mr. John-Allen Ennis, P.E., Project Manager. Virginia Department of Transportation, 811 Commerce Road, Staunton, VA 24401-9029. Oral comments can be recorded at the meeting with the assistance of a court reporter.

The Route 11 (South Valley Pike) project consists of widening Route 11 from two lanes to a four-lane divided highway. The project extends from 0.1 mile south of the Route 704 East intersection to the southern corporate limits of Harrisonburg. In 2015 Route 11 had an average daily traffic count of 12,000 vehicles per day. By the design year of 2042 the estimated average daily traffic volume is 16,500 vehicles per day. The total estimated cost for the Route 11 project is $18.2 million, including $1.8 million for preliminary engineering, $1.6 million for right of way and $14.8 million for construction.

Route 11 will be widened on its western side utilizing as much of the existing roadway as possible. Six-foot paved shoulders will be included in the widening to accommodate bicycles along the corridor. The proposed median will vary in width. Narrow median areas will have a raised median including curbs. Wide median areas will be graded with a ditch.

An innovative intersection design know as Restricted Crossing U-Turn (R-CUT) is being proposed at some crossovers. The RCUT is an intersection design where all side street movements begin with a right turn. Side street left-turn and through vehicles turn right and make a U-turn at a dedicated downstream median opening to complete the desired movement. By limiting crossing conflicts RCUTs improve overall safety and increase efficiency for the mainline roadway. The benefits of RCUT intersections include:

• Improved safety: Reduces the number of conflict points where vehicles cross paths and eliminates the potential for head-on crashes
  Increased efficiency: Each direction of the major street can operate independently, creating two one-way streets and increasing the overall intersection capacity
• Shorter wait times: Fewer traffic signal phases means less stopping for arterial vehicles and allowing only right turns from side streets means less waiting
• Cost-effective: An RCUT can be more cost effective than adding lanes to improve capacity

More information on RCUT intersections can be found on VDOT’s innovative intersections website: http://www.virginiadot.org/info/alternative_intersection_informational_design_guides.asp

The Route 704 (Cecil Wampler Road) project realigns Route 704 to intersect with Route 11 across from the Route 704 (Oakwood Drive) intersection. The realigned portion of Route 704 will remain two lanes and will include an additional turn lane at the Route 11 intersection. Minor improvements to Route 11 including a right-turn lane and modifications to the existing signal are included in the project. A new bridge over Blacks Run will be constructed as part of the project.

In 2015 Route 704 had an average daily traffic count of 3,900 vehicles per day. By the design year of 2042 the estimated average daily traffic volume is 7,000 vehicles per day. The total estimated cost for the Route 704 is $3.5 million, including $435,090 for preliminary engineering, $425,168 for right of way and $2.6 million for construction.

Both the Route 11 and Route 704 projects received funding under the Smart Scale program. Construction is scheduled for early 2021.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.