Tag: Charlottesville Bypass
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$240 Million to Save One Minute Travel Time?
by James A. Bacon Spending roughly $240 million to build the Charlottesville Bypass will save motorists less than one minute of travel time compared to driving on U.S. 29, according to a new analysis by the Charlottesville-Albemarle Transportation Coalition (CATCO). The installation of synchronized stoplights in 2007 has cut travel time on the congested stretch…
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Army Corp Wants New Analysis of Cville Bypass
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) isn’t the only federal agency that would like to see a comprehensive environmental reevaluation of the Charlottesville Bypass. The Army Corps of Engineers contends that previous environmental studies, conducted in 1990 and 2002, may be outdated and do not fully explore alternatives to the bypass. The Norfolk District of the…
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A Bump in the Road for the Cville Bypass?
Foes of the Charlottesville Bypass have won an important ally. In an advisory opinion, the Environmental Protection Agency has recommended that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) consider alternatives to the 6.5-mile bypass of U.S. 29 north of Charlottesville. Sean Tubbs fleshes out the details in Charlottesville Tomorrow: “Alternatives analysis is the heart of [the…
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Truckers Question Safety of Cville Bypass Design, Still Support Project
Virginia trucking companies are concerned that a new design of the Charlottesville Bypass would create safety issues, says Dale Bennett, executive director of the Virginia Trucking Association (VTA), but he doesn’t know of any company that would avoid using the Bypass. And he stands by the association’s long-stated support for the $244 million project. In…
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Please, Please, Please, Pay Attention to the Situation in Charlottesville!
Dear Governor McDonnell, I know you’re a busy man. You oversee the entire breadth and scope of state government. You don’t have time to get involved in every local controversy. But every once in a while, if you don’t step in to correct a bad decision, you can wind up with a big mess on…
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A Bypass Built for Trucks… that Trucks Won’t Use
by James A. Bacon The McDonnell administration’s justification for the $244 million Charlottesville Bypass is to preserve the integrity of U.S. 29 for freight traffic. Only one problem: Heavy trucks traveling north won’t be able to use it, according to an analysis published by the Charlottesville-Albemarle Transportation Coalition. What’s more, the bypass will be unusable…
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Bypass Foes Take their Case to the Feds
by James A. Bacon An Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Charlottesville Bypass prepared by the state and submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is based on an outdated highway design, uses a deeply flawed traffic model and fails to consider transportation alternatives, charges the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) in a formal response to…
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Taxpayers against the Bypass
In a new report, “Sliding Past Sequestration,” Taxpayers for Common Sense have outlined a program to cut $2 trillion in federal spending over the next 10 years without touching entitlements. Among the many ideas are proposals to delete low Return on Investment transportation projects. Along with the likes of the Upper Mississippi River Navigation Locks…
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Uh, Oh, Charlottesville Needs Another $132 Million
Construction has not yet begun on Charlottesville’s Western Bypass but the Charlottesville Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization outlined yesterday an idea for building an 8.3-mile extension of the bypass for possible inclusion in the region’s long-range transportation plan. Using standard unit costs without the benefit of engineering studies, the commission estimates that the project would cost…
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Citizen Input on the Charlottesville Bypass: Influencing the Edge of the Periphery of the Margins
Let me set the scene… The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has allocated $200 million to build the Charlottesville Bypass and has selected a contractor to move the project forward. Before construction can commence, the state must submit an Environmental Assessment (EA) for final approval by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). But the bypass design…
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Clogging Corridors
Is the McDonnell administration serious about protecting state highways from encroaching development? A dispute over a rural stoplight on U.S. 29 may tell the story.
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A Charlottesville Bypass Alternative: the New 29
Foes of the Charlottesville Bypass have produced a video detailing six spot improvements that would not only speed travel for drivers passing through town but for the thousands of drivers who use the road for local trips. “The bypass only offers minimal time savings to drivers passing through the area, and it offers even fewer…
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Cheaper Yes. But How Effective?
Skanska/Branch’s new design for the Charlottesville Bypass shaves tens of millions of dollars off construction costs. But will it move traffic as efficiently as the original design?
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Cville Bypass Contract Approved
by James A. Bacon The Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded yesterday a $135 million contract to Skanska/Branch Highways for the design and construction of the Charlottesville Bypass. Board members voted without seeing a conceptual design, asking anything about cost-benefit trade-offs made by Skanska to submit the low bid, or knowing what changes may be required by…
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Yes, the Cville Bypass Is under Budget
by James A. Bacon Last week the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) opened bids for the design and construction of the Charlottesville Bypass, claiming that the low bid of Virginia Beach-based Skanska-Branch/JMT came in beneath the department’s official projection and within the $197 million allocated to the project. However, project foes stated that, based upon…