Board discusses VDOT revenue-sharing application for Route 20/Porter Road left-turn lanes; requests more safety data

Orange County staff presented a proposed application to VDOT's revenue-sharing program for intersection improvements at Route 20 and Porter Road and asked the Board of Supervisors to direct staff to bring a formal resolution committing the county's share of funding.

Josh Frederick, planning and zoning services manager, said the concept submitted to VDOT would add a left-turn lane on Route 20 and a corresponding left-turn lane on Porter Road, citing safety and operational concerns where heavy trucks turn toward county facilities including the landfill and animal shelter. He described revenue sharing as a 50/50 match: "It's a 50 50 match, meaning the county would contribute 50% of the total budget for the project. The CTB, Commonwealth Transportation Board, by way of VDOT, will contribute the other 50%."

Frederick told the board the most recent VDOT estimate, which includes inflation to account for construction in the FY2030 time frame, places the total cost around $11 million; the county's share under revenue sharing would be roughly $5.5 million. He noted the FY25 CIP contained a placeholder figure near $3.5 million but that estimates have risen substantially.

VDOT's preliminary design shows minor right-of-way acquisition on the north side and a small sliver to the east for the Porter Road taper. Frederick noted Parcel 6 depicted in the plan is owned by the county and could be donated to the project, reducing acquisition cost.

Board members pressed for more crash and injury data and asked staff to pursue comparative options, including a roundabout analysis. Frederick said VDOT had not proposed a roundabout as the preferred alternative and that this project likely would not qualify for the Smart Scale program because it lacks the safety score threshold Smart Scale rewards; revenue sharing was described as the next appropriate funding pathway. He said, "VDOT has become very, very risk averse with their estimates because the last thing they want to do is have a project funded and then not have enough money when it comes time to construct."

The board did not adopt a resolution at the meeting but asked staff to bring a resolution and additional crash/traffic analysis at the next meeting if the board wished to pursue the current funding cycle. Frederick said funding would likely be programmed for FY2030 if awarded.

No formal vote to commit funding was taken at this meeting; the action requested was for staff to return with a draft resolution and supplementary engineering and safety information.