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Council directs transfer of Augusta sidewalk funds to Edgewood; Richmond Ave. roundabout funding remains uncertain
Summary
Staunton City Council asked staff to cancel two VDOT-funded Augusta Street sidewalk projects and transfer those funds to construct an Edgewood sidewalk. Separately, funding for a Richmond Avenue roundabout and road diet is in flux after VDOT reported some of its pledged funds may be unavailable.
Staunton City Council on Feb. 27 voted to cancel two VDOT Augusta Street sidewalk projects and transfer the funds to build a sidewalk on Edgewood Avenue, while deferring a decision on a Richmond Avenue roundabout after VDOT reported uncertainty about its contribution.
City Manager Leslie Beauregard said the Edgewood sidewalk project is the clearest item in the current VDOT package: the citys SmartScale allocation for the cancelled Augusta projects would move to Edgewood, and council would later commit local match funds. "If you would like to commit to Edgewood, then certainly yes," Beauregard said, noting final local funding needs would be specified when design is complete.
Council action: The council approved a motion directing staff to cancel the two Augusta Street sidewalk projects and transfer the funds to the Edgewood sidewalk project, and to allocate local funds from the city's new sidewalks and bike-and-pedestrian CIP reserves and undesignated capital improvement funds as needed. The roll call was unanimous.
VDOT funding uncertainty for roundabout: The Richmond Avenue project includes a proposed single-lane roundabout, a road diet, sidewalks/shared-use path segments and median/streetscape work. Beauregard said VDOT had indicated it could fund roughly $7.5 million toward the roundabout but, within 48–72 hours, told city staff that some or all of those funds might not be available. "We dont know what that means right now or how much of that would not be available. VDOT has indicated they will know more within days," Beauregard said.
If VDOT cannot provide the roundabout funds, Beauregard said the city could face a shortfall of roughly $5 million above the original SmartScale commitment of $2.25 million for the corridor. City engineer Lyle Hart told council that a substantial portion of the remaining road-diet elements would require local funding even if VDOT fully funded the roundabout.
Property-owner outreach and Edgewood support: Hart and Rodney Rhodes, community development director, reported staff had mailed notices and met with five of seven property owners along the proposed Edgewood sidewalk. "The feedback was generally supportive," Hart said; property owners raised questions about lighting, tree removal, potential easements and snow removal responsibilities.
Why this matters: Edgewood is a high-use corridor without continuous sidewalks; council members said the sidewalk is a long-standing neighborhood priority. The Richmond Avenue roundabout and road-diet proposal aim to improve safety and slow speeds on a busy corridor, but cost increases and uncertain VDOT commitments mean council would not finalize additional local funding for the roundabout without clearer figures.
Next steps: VDOT expects to have more information within days; staff offered to return to council on March 13 if more time is required. Council instructed staff to proceed with transferring the Augusta funds to Edgewood and to finalize design and exact local-match amounts before any appropriation vote.
Ending: Council members praised staff for rapid outreach to property owners on Edgewood and deferred further decisions about the Richmond Avenue roundabout until VDOT clarifies its funding commitments.
