News and Views

Fluvanna Review : New $2.7 Million Roundabout Underway

From Fluvanna Review
by Jennifer Altieri Smith

The new $2.7 million roundabout for the intersection of Route 15 and Route 53 is now underway.

Last week the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) started posting signs and doing preparatory work for the county’s new traffic circle, expected to be completed next August. Over the coming weeks, workers will begin clearing land and staging equipment before beginning construction of the roundabout.

Fluvanna’s first roundabout was constructed at the intersection of Route 53 and Route 600. That intersection is similar in travel volume – over 6,500 vehicles per day – to the one at Route 15 and Route 53, said Stacy Londrey, VDOT communications manager, which is what makes the latter intersection such a “good candidate” for a roundabout.

The traffic circle will provide a safe type of intersection “especially for inexperienced, high school drivers,” said Londrey. There is less concern for crashes at a roundabout intersection due to directional signs and lower rates of speed, she said. Using the intersection of Route 53 and Route 600 as an example, Londrey cited a total of two crashes in the two years prior to the construction of the roundabout, compared to zero crashes since its completion.

“Roundabouts work well when there is a heavy leg of traffic in one direction,” she said. This continuous flow of traffic eliminates the need for a stoplight where only a certain number of vehicles can pass through at one time.

The total cost of the roundabout is $2.7 million, which includes everything from design, engineering, public hearing, planning and construction costs. Fluvanna acquired a good majority of the total through VDOT fund matching and a program called Smart Scale. Started in 2014, Smart Scale allows the process of funding to be more “grassroots and transparent,” Londrey said. Through the program, localities are encouraged to apply for funding for transportation projects they need in their area. Projects are ranked and then funded on their value in terms of cost-benefit across the state. According to Londrey, this gives rural areas a level playing field by using a point-based system to determine where money is distributed.

The Route 15 and Route 53 roundabout is the first Smart Scale funded project across the state to go to construction, Londrey said. According to Londrey, Fluvanna received $1.4 million from Smart Scale. VDOT provided an additional $550,000 and the state chipped in $200,000. This left the county responsible for $550,000 of the $2.7 million project. The county paid the money in three installments, finishing up last February.

Read the full story from Fluvanna Review. 
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