The Draft Environmental Impact Statement was released and published on the
study website.
As was announced before, the preferred alternative is Alternative C. The total cost estimate is $615,905,708. A detailed breakdown of the costs is located in Appendix E (Page 156) of the
Alternative Analysis Technical Report.
The eastern route options initially proposed were eliminated from further study due to the inability to meet the Purpose and Need, due to the fact it would not accommodate regional traffic heading to the west.
The typical section for the new roadway includes two 12 ft lanes in each direction, 12 ft right paved shoulder, and 4 ft left paved shoulder. A 60 ft grassy median would divide opposing directions of traffic. An 18 ft clear zone from the edge of right shoulder to a 2:1 embankment would be required. The minimum right of way for the new location segment would be 168 ft, and 275 ft on the upgraded segment (near the North Carolina state line). The entire project would have full access control with access only permitted at interchanges; at-grade intersections and private driveways would be prohibited. The design speed for the roadway is proposed at 60 mph. Contrary to the typical section diagrams, the upgraded portion near the state line would only have a frontage road on the southern side per the detailed drawings (linked below), not on the northern side.
Interchanges on the new facility would be located at US-220 near the state line, Soapstone Rd, and Joseph Martin Hwy / US-58 / US-220. The southerly US-220 and Soapstone Rd interchanges would be standard diamond interchanges, and the Joseph Martin Hwy / US-58 / US-220 interchange would also be a standard diamond interchange with a flyover and cloverleaf to accommodate movements from the MSC and US-58 / US-220 in both directions. In the
Noise Technical Report in Appendix E (Page 180), detailed drawings of the entire project are provided, including the interchange layouts.
As for traffic volumes, the new roadway would carry 10,700 - 11,900 AADT by 2025, and 11,300 - 12,800 AADT by 2040. Truck volumes would be 14 - 16% by 2025, and 18 - 20% by 2040.
Thoughts:
A couple of concerns. First, the design speed for the roadway is proposed at 60 mph, so the likelihood of having a speed limit above 60 mph would be low, maybe 65 mph if it's determined appropriate. In my opinion, this roadway ought to have a design speed of 75 mph. While it is not currently being designed as an interstate highway facility presently, there is a high chance it will be incorporated into Interstate 73 at some point in the future. Per VDOT's Design Standards, a new interstate facility should have a posted +5 mph design speed. In this case, a 75 mph design speed on the Martinsville Southern Connector would accommodate a proper 70 mph posted speed limit.
My other concern is the proposed northern connection with the US-58 / US-220 bypass. To provide maximum continuity for US-220, and in the future potentially I-73 (assuming it will run the MSC and US-220 bypass), the connection should be designed to provide full continuity to/from US-220 to the west and the MSC to the south, with traffic to/from US-58 to the east and Joseph Martin Hwy having to exit right. The southern junction reflects this design, as should the northern one.