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Waynesboro: VDOT to host public hearing in October on West Main Street improvements

Rebecca Barnabi
waynesboro
(© Gary L Hider – stock.adobe.com)

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will hold a design public hearing concerning corridor improvements to West Main Street (Route 250) in the city of Waynesboro.

The open house meeting will be held between 4 and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 in Waynesboro City Council chambers at the Charles T. Yancey Municipal Building, 503 W. Main St., Waynesboro.

Residents may come in anytime during the meeting hours and discuss the project on a one-on-one basis with VDOT officials and designers. Written comments may be submitted at the meeting or within 10 days after the meeting date to Jennifer Hoover, 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 project will replace the center turn lane with raised medians that allow left turns only at designated median openings. Most of the commercial access driveways and side streets will be restricted to right turns in and out, which will reduce crashes by restricting the amount of full access points onto West Main Street.

Multimodal improvements include a proposed sidewalk, crosswalks, ADA-compliant facilities and traffic signal modifications. The project will be within the city of Waynesboro between Hopeman Parkway and the western city limits just west of Lew Dewitt Boulevard.

A Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions (STARS) study of Route 250 in Waynesboro and Augusta County was completed in 2020. The segment of West Main Street was included in the study and recommended for operational and safety improvements.

The project complements a separately funded project for BRITE (Blue Ridge Intercity Transit Express) bus stops.

In 2021, West Main Street had an average traffic count of 18,300 vehicles per day. By the design year of 2048, the estimated daily traffic volume is 20,600 vehicles per day.

The total estimated cost of the project is $12,574,828, including $726,164 for preliminary engineering, $1,516,365 for right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation, and $10,332,299 for construction. The project was selected for funding under the SMART SCALE process for prioritizing transportation projects.

Waynesboro: VDOT hosting info session on safety improvements to West Main Street (augustafreepress.com)

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.