Virginia

[Takumi]

Chesterfield County is looking at developing part of the Magnolia Green community as a technology park in order to generate funding for the VA 76/Powhite Parkway extension to US 360 near Skinquarter. Not sure how practical this is but Magnolia Green is one of the fastest developing areas of the county.

https://www.chesterfield.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2549&fbclid=IwAR0oJScl5R4k-_UKNZSnZUdqdHICemimtST8Gg5WW2J0KA1pRTl-zW33W9s

I wish I could see more details of some of the proposed roads in the map. Some of them look like what are currently very minor roads that would be expanded.

[Mapmikey]

Note it says to the US 11-60 jct in Downtown Lexington, which implies using US 11 Business through VMI to Downtown...

Concur it makes no sense to reroute if not going I-64 to I-81.

The bill was amended to remove the "downtown Lexington" part (suggesting that they meant the US 11/US 60 interchange east of Lexington), but it's a moot point now since the bill died in committee.

Does that necessarily kill the project?  This is not such an expensive change that VDOT can't eat the cost now and reap the benefits later.  Or maybe reap the benefits now, as I suspect that this old section of US-60 is way overdue for replacement signage.  Anyhow, there's only the reassurance signs along I-64 for one more exit, the changes to BGS for both exits, and new signage for a short section of Lee Highway before the turn back onto The Midland Trail.  It is likely that this type of rerouting would be an easy pass for AASHTO Special Committee.

There is nothing preventing VDOT or the CTB from rerouting US 60 if they wanted to. The bill would have forced them to. The only constraint is that they cannot remove more than 150 miles from the primary system in any one year, nor add more than 50 miles.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Chesterfield County is looking at developing part of the Magnolia Green community as a technology park in order to generate funding for the VA 76/Powhite Parkway extension to US 360 near Skinquarter. Not sure how practical this is but Magnolia Green is one of the fastest developing areas of the county.

https://www.chesterfield.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2549&fbclid=IwAR0oJScl5R4k-_UKNZSnZUdqdHICemimtST8Gg5WW2J0KA1pRTl-zW33W9s

I wish I could see more details of some of the proposed roads in the map. Some of them look like what are currently very minor roads that would be expanded.

Unfortunately the PDF version of the thoroughfare plan isn't any more detailed.

[froggie]

IIRC, a past-years version of that thoroughfare plan had yet another freeway....from the East-West southward into Dinwiddle County.

[D-Dey65]

While going through the Valentine Museum's archives once again earlier for some pics, I came across another shot of the RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP on I-95. There's no date, but the NY Box-style rail is in the median, so I would put this between 1976 (or more likely 1981) and 1986.



moto g(7) optimo (XT1952DL)

EDIT: Then again, that might have been the Jersey barrier, but the median looks grassy. This could be right around 1985-86.

Is that the Belvidere Toll Booth in Richmond?

[WillWeaverRVA]

Is that the Belvidere Toll Booth in Richmond?

It is; the offramp to Belvidere Street is off to the lower left.

[Takumi]

Chesterfield County is looking at developing part of the Magnolia Green community as a technology park in order to generate funding for the VA 76/Powhite Parkway extension to US 360 near Skinquarter. Not sure how practical this is but Magnolia Green is one of the fastest developing areas of the county.

https://www.chesterfield.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2549&fbclid=IwAR0oJScl5R4k-_UKNZSnZUdqdHICemimtST8Gg5WW2J0KA1pRTl-zW33W9s

I wish I could see more details of some of the proposed roads in the map. Some of them look like what are currently very minor roads that would be expanded.

Unfortunately the PDF version of the thoroughfare plan isn't any more detailed.

It’s a little bit easier to see what some of the roads are, at least. Some notables:

-the western expansion of Woolridge looks like it would connect with the Powhite extension again, or at least come very close to it if it ends at Duval Road. (There’s another dotted line that goes almost due west of the Duval/Woolridge/Powhite interchange and then turns southeast back to 360, but the map makes no way of telling if that’s more Woolridge.)
-Duval Road looks to have a southwest extension, paralleling 360 down to a road that would connect 360 to the end of Pear Orchard Road at Chesterfield Berry Farm.
-Minor roads like Sappony Road and Deer Range Road have long extensions proposed.
-A connection of the two segments of Reedy Branch Road. I think this has been on the books for nearly a century, if not longer.
-A northern extension of Halloway Avenue in Matoaca that would tie into the subdivision currently being build behind Matoaca High School. This road would ultimately connect to Branders Bridge Road somewhere.
-A western extension of Happy Hill Road to around the Bradley Bridge/Lewis intersection. Would require some property acquisition on both ends.
-An eastern extension of Genito Road to Newbys Bridge Road. Notably it shows this as a 70 foot collector road as opposed to an arterial.
-a road extending north from the East-West Freeway and heading towards western Chester, in the path of what appears to be Womack Road. Obviously this won’t happen now, but it also shows a northward extension of Womack to VA 144.

[noelbotevera]

Out of curiosity, are there plans to put up a Jersey barrier on US 15 between Leesburg and MD? Obviously there's no way in hell this'll ever be upgraded (can't ruin those precious vineyards!), but as it stands it's always a tense 13 miles.

[kernals12]

Out of curiosity, are there plans to put up a Jersey barrier on US 15 between Leesburg and MD? Obviously there's no way in hell this'll ever be upgraded (can't ruin those precious vineyards!), but as it stands it's always a tense 13 miles.

What is it with vineyards occupying valuable real estate, in Washington DC and the Bay Area?

I'm glad I don't drink.

[odditude]

Out of curiosity, are there plans to put up a Jersey barrier on US 15 between Leesburg and MD? Obviously there's no way in hell this'll ever be upgraded (can't ruin those precious vineyards!), but as it stands it's always a tense 13 miles.

What is it with vineyards occupying valuable real estate, in Washington DC and the Bay Area?

I'm glad I don't drink.

if the vineyards occupy valuable real estate, they must be producing enough revenue to make keeping vs selling the correct economic decision for the owners.

whether or not you personally drink, alcohol production can make decent money.

also, at least in NOVA, if it wasn't a vineyard it would likely soon be datacenters (as long as there is a substation nearby).

[kernals12]

Out of curiosity, are there plans to put up a Jersey barrier on US 15 between Leesburg and MD? Obviously there's no way in hell this'll ever be upgraded (can't ruin those precious vineyards!), but as it stands it's always a tense 13 miles.

What is it with vineyards occupying valuable real estate, in Washington DC and the Bay Area?

I'm glad I don't drink.

if the vineyards occupy valuable real estate, they must be producing enough revenue to make keeping vs selling the correct economic decision for the owners.

whether or not you personally drink, alcohol production can make decent money.

also, at least in NOVA, if it wasn't a vineyard it would likely soon be datacenters (as long as there is a substation nearby).

More likely, they're protected by zoning laws and property tax breaks.

[1995hoo]

Why don't you try citing facts for a change instead of posting your unfounded personal biases?

[noelbotevera]

Out of curiosity, are there plans to put up a Jersey barrier on US 15 between Leesburg and MD? Obviously there's no way in hell this'll ever be upgraded (can't ruin those precious vineyards!), but as it stands it's always a tense 13 miles.

What is it with vineyards occupying valuable real estate, in Washington DC and the Bay Area?

I'm glad I don't drink.

For someone who lives in Boston and posts in the Virginia thread, you sure seem to know the answer. Don't know why you bother asking.

[Alps]

Out of curiosity, are there plans to put up a Jersey barrier on US 15 between Leesburg and MD? Obviously there's no way in hell this'll ever be upgraded (can't ruin those precious vineyards!), but as it stands it's always a tense 13 miles.

What is it with vineyards occupying valuable real estate, in Washington DC and the Bay Area?

I'm glad I don't drink.

if the vineyards occupy valuable real estate, they must be producing enough revenue to make keeping vs selling the correct economic decision for the owners.

whether or not you personally drink, alcohol production can make decent money.

also, at least in NOVA, if it wasn't a vineyard it would likely soon be datacenters (as long as there is a substation nearby).

More likely, they're protected by zoning laws and property tax breaks.

most likely, you're wrong

[kkt]

Out of curiosity, are there plans to put up a Jersey barrier on US 15 between Leesburg and MD? Obviously there's no way in hell this'll ever be upgraded (can't ruin those precious vineyards!), but as it stands it's always a tense 13 miles.

What is it with vineyards occupying valuable real estate, in Washington DC and the Bay Area?

I'm glad I don't drink.

if the vineyards occupy valuable real estate, they must be producing enough revenue to make keeping vs selling the correct economic decision for the owners.

whether or not you personally drink, alcohol production can make decent money.

also, at least in NOVA, if it wasn't a vineyard it would likely soon be datacenters (as long as there is a substation nearby).

More likely, they're protected by zoning laws and property tax breaks.

Vineyards do produce a whole lot of value from the land.  They chase out other agricultural uses, for example the Alexander Valley where the town of Philo is in Mendocino County used to be almost all orchards in the 1950s and 1960s, and has gradually changed to almost all vineyards.  Possibly if dense housing were allowed that would be produced instead, but there are several reasons for not putting dense housing there.  Start with it would be serving commuters to the San Francisco Bay Area and it's a heck of a long commute there and they would soon be demanding larger freeways to make it easier to get there.

[Dirt Roads]

It's been a long time since I lived in Loudoun County, but like other parts of the country you must utilize large tracts of land for agricultural purposes or get taxed at the residential land use rates.  Two of my colleagues purchased 10-acre tracts in Loudoun back in the early 1990s:  one set up a vineyard (his lifelong dream) and the other set up a horse farm (his daughter's dream).  I suspect that the horse farm concept didn't meet the state or county's tax requirements for income, so the horse farm added some goats and cows.

Old-time Loudoun residents are fiesty about land use (and many are very wealthy).  However, I'm surprised that all of the newcomers to Loudoun haven't voted for improved highways.  It's one of the few places where there are many new [expressways] through subdivisions and commercial areas, but most of the main roads are still narrow two-lane roads.

[hbelkins]

Vineyards are increasingly becoming tourist attractions.

[NJRoadfan]

Does Virginia have a "farmland preservation" program where a government agency can buy out the development rights?

[Dirt Roads]

Does Virginia have a "farmland preservation" program where a government agency can buy out the development rights?

Yes, similar to North Carolina, Virginia has a conservation easement program whereby certain state entities and any private conservancy group can pay for permanent easement rights on large parcels of land.  I seriously doubt that those 10-acre mini-ranches could participate in those efforts, but there is a movement within Virginia to create a self-owner conservancy that would change the land deed to enforce the same type of requirements.  This works similar to how covenants are written into deeds for homeowner associations.  However, none of those requirements are exempt from the possible use of eminent domain by another government agency (like VDOT).  But those covenants might stop forestry lands from being bulldozed for a school complex.

[VTGoose]

Does Virginia have a "farmland preservation" program where a government agency can buy out the development rights?

Yes, similar to North Carolina, Virginia has a conservation easement program whereby certain state entities and any private conservancy group can pay for permanent easement rights on large parcels of land.

There is the Agricultural and Forestal District Act that allows landowners to protect their land from development pressure. This is different than a conservation easement but does have the same aim of protecting open land from encroaching development.

Agricultural/Forestal Districts are rural conservation zones reserved for the production of agricultural products, timber,
and the maintenance of open space land as an important economic and environmental resource. Districts are voluntary.
They are initiated by a landowner or group of landowners as a mutual undertaking with the local government.
By establishing a District, property owners agree not to convert their farm, forestland and other open space lands to more
intense commercial, industrial or residential uses for a term of 4 to 10 years. In return, the county and Commonwealth
agree not to take actions or make infrastructure investments that will place increased pressure on landowners to convert
land in the district to more intense land uses during the term of the District.

(see https://www.vafb.com/Portals/FBA/PDFs_and_Resources/membership_at_work/Agricultural%20-%20Forestal%20Districts%20FAQ%20Sheet%2011-1-17.pdf for an FAQ about the program)


Bruce in Blacksburg

[WillWeaverRVA]

There was a public meeting last night about Chesterfield's Upper Magnolia Green development - which includes the Powhite Parkway extension to US 360 in Skinquarter - and there was substantial community opposition. I'm skeptical the extension will ever get built...which is about how I normally feel anyway.

[Takumi]

There was a public meeting last night about Chesterfield's Upper Magnolia Green development - which includes the Powhite Parkway extension to US 360 in Skinquarter - and there was substantial community opposition. I'm skeptical the extension will ever get built...which is about how I normally feel anyway.

I've recently seen signs opposing the Magnolia megasite appearing in people's yards in Chester and Matoaca...areas that were also vocally opposed to the previous megasite proposal and the E-W freeway. Maybe a compromise will be reached at some point where the extension will be built as a surface road.

[plain]

Improvements coming to the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry

https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/jamestown-ferry-gets-2-million-for-modernization-effort/

[sprjus4]

An official project page has been made on VDOT's website for the proposed interchange along US-58 at the SPSA Regional Landfill. This would eliminate a dangerous at-grade crossing on the 6 lane highway between Suffolk and Bowers Hill that effectively functions as a 60 mph freeway.

According to this, the project will cost around $40 million and be complete by 2026.

In Design: Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) Interchange Improvements Project

The Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) Interchange Improvements project is located in the City of Suffolk. The proposed project will replace the at-grade crossing with Route 13/58/460 with a flyover ramp for the eastbound traffic entering SPSA Regional Landfill. The project is located from approximately 2.54 miles west of Suffolk City Limits to approximately 0.43 miles east of Route 13/58/460.

The principal arterial in this corridor has three general purpose lanes in each direction. The proposed design includes a right exit in the eastbound direction to the SPSA landfill entrance. This ramp will include a proposed bridge over Route 13/58/460.

Some of the major components of the SPSA Interchange Improvements project include:

* New Ramp
* New flyover bridge over Route 13/58/460
* Drainage Design
* Right of Way Impacts
* Utility Relocations

Cost and Schedule
* Total estimated cost: $39,266,210
* Estimated completion date: Spring 2026

[Old Dominionite]

Improvements coming to the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry

https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/jamestown-ferry-gets-2-million-for-modernization-effort/

I took the ferry from Scotland to Jamestown this morning. Noticed a lot of yard signs on VA 31 north of Surry opposing a road widening. I assume this is a proposed project distinct from the funding mentioned above. There also appeared to be construction already underway at the north shore (i.e. Jamestown) slips.