Louisa County amends VDOT six-year plan; removes Midway Lane and redirects funds to countywide rural additions and Dusty Road

The Louisa County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 12 reviewed a draft Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Secondary Six‑Year Plan and approved edits that remove Midway Lane from the plan and place available funds into countywide rural‑addition balance accounts and for work on Dusty Road.

At the meeting, Scott Thornton, a VDOT representative, told the board that for fiscal year 2030–31 the county is expected to receive $771,000 in telefees and $118,268 in district grant (unpaid) funds. Thornton said part of the district grant unpaid balance—$84,001.69—was being applied to New Anna Road and that $84,687 in telefees was being placed in a balance‑entry account for countywide rural additions. “Telefee is, the funds that are generated through agreements we have with utility companies that they allow or you all or we allow them to run their utilities alongside the roads so then those funds are put back into the 6 year plan for the localities,” Thornton said.

The board voted to remove Midway Lane from the plan and directed staff to move the available funding into countywide rural additions. The chairman declared the motion passed after a voice vote. The board later also approved changing one project, West Green Springs Road, from a rural‑rustic/hard‑surface plan to an unpaid‑road‑maintenance designation under recently changed state legislation so unused hard‑surfacing funds could instead be applied to other maintenance needs; the board instructed that any leftover funds could be used on Dusty Road.

Why it matters: the six‑year plan sets VDOT’s local project priorities and how county‑level telefees and district grant funds are allocated. Moving Midway Lane off the plan and shifting balances to countywide accounts preserves flexibility for the board to target forthcoming priorities or to fund preliminary engineering, traffic studies, or short‑term maintenance until projects are ready for construction.

Key schedule and program details

- Poplar Avenue: Thornton said Poplar Avenue is fully funded in the next fiscal year. “After July 1, we will do funding verification … in the fall … crews will go through, after the leaves fall, clear any … do any tree trimming, anything like that, any ditching. And then in the spring, once it warms up … they’ll tar and chip the road,” Thornton said.

- Rural additions eligibility: Thornton described the rural‑addition process and state criteria: a road must either already be state‑maintained or have been in service for 20 years or more and serve three or more residents; easements and right‑of‑way must be secured and the roadway must meet VDOT standards (width, utilities, design) before acceptance. “Rural Addition has to either already be a state maintained road, or in order for to become a state maintained road, it has to be … in service for 20 years or more, serve 3 or more residents,” Thornton said.

- Culverts and paving: Thornton said countywide pipe replacements are underway in advance of paving and that inspectors are on site during replacements. He said crews will allow backfill to settle before paving and that areas will be milled and paved once weather conditions allow. VDOT expects some paving activity before Memorial Day; if work runs into summer traffic, contractors will schedule after Labor Day.

- Hamilton Road Bridge: VDOT staff and stakeholders have coalesced around a bridge replacement; environmental clearances are being pursued and steel fabrication lead times will affect the construction schedule. Thornton said the replacement is planned for late this year or early next year, depending on environmental review and fabrication schedules.

- Litter and illegal signs: Board members raised recurring concerns about commercial signs placed in VDOT right‑of‑way. Thornton said VDOT crews perform periodic removal operations and that some localities have entered agreements with VDOT under state code that allow the locality to enforce sign prohibitions and collect fines. “We did … pushes … last winter … we picked up a trailer load of signs both times,” Thornton said. He said the fine per sign in some localities is about $100 but that collecting fines can require proving who placed the signs.

- Regional jail work crews: County representatives reported ongoing discussions with the Central Virginia Regional Jail about a limited work‑crew pilot using nonviolent felony offenders who meet medical screening and security requirements; the jail authority will schedule jurisdictions for crew weeks if eligible inmates participate.

What the board decided (actions at a glance)

- Midway Lane: Board voted to remove Midway Lane from the draft Secondary Six‑Year Plan and to move the current funding into countywide balance accounts for rural additions (motion approved by voice vote).

- West Green Springs Road: Board voted to change the West Green Springs project from a rural‑rustic/hard‑surfacing project to an unpaid‑road‑maintenance project under the updated district grant rules so remaining funds can be used for maintenance; motion approved by voice vote.

Process and next steps

Thornton said staff will update the draft plan with the board’s edits and that the board will later adopt a resolution to advertise the required public hearing on the plan after those modifications are made. He also urged the board that balance‑entry accounts give the county flexibility to move funding year to year for priorities such as studies, engineering, or SmartScale preparation.

Ending note: The board closed the work session after the VDOT update and will revisit the full agenda at the regular meeting later the same day.