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VDOT provides quarterly update to Louisa supervisors; SmartScale bid misses funding and local repairs outlined
Summary
VDOT told the Louisa County Board of Supervisors about current roadwork, bridge projects, SmartScale scoring results that left Louisa projects unfunded this round, pothole repairs, speed studies and traffic-safety concerns, and plans for upcoming resurfacing and ditching work.
A VDOT representative, Thornton, gave the Louisa County Board of Supervisors the department’s quarterly update on Feb. 3, reporting ongoing pipe replacement, ditching, bridge repairs and resurfacing schedules and answering supervisors' questions about potholes, pedestrian safety and speed studies.
Thornton said maintenance crews have started pipe replacement and patching ahead of the annual resurfacing program and that ditching operations will begin on the county’s east end over the next two weeks. He reported delays on a Route 640 bridge project because crews had to rebuild an abutment; the road is now expected to reopen in March. Thornton said the Belle Mead Road bridge project has been awarded and the contractor is setting a schedule.
On SmartScale — the state scoring process for transportation funding — Thornton said no Louisa projects were recommended to move forward in this round. The county’s top-scoring project (Route 15/Route 22 improvements) ranked 103rd statewide and was about 50 slots short of funding after the pool for this year was reduced to cover inflation adjustments and maintenance projects. “You can put money on the project. That would be the biggest thing to buy down some of the cost, and that gets the benefit-cost score to go up,” Thornton said when asked what could improve SmartScale scoring.
Supervisors raised safety concerns on Route 15 near the Walmart and hotel area where people have been observed crossing on foot at night; Thornton acknowledged pedestrian concerns and noted VDOT standard countermeasures but did not commit to a specific change. Board members also asked about speed studies on Courthouse Road, Louisa Road and Oakland Road; Thornton said the Louisa Road study was completed with no speed changes recommended and that speed studies generally review a five- to seven-year crash history.
Thornton told the board that contractors will be expected to complete Kentucky Springs Road rehabilitation work before Memorial Day — or defer until after Labor Day — and that VDOT uses permit language and pre-permit road condition video to document contractor impacts for later repair claims. He said permit inspectors can be mobilized if overloaded vehicles or damage are reported.
Thornton said SmartScale scoring disadvantages some rural projects because congestion and accessibility factors weigh less heavily in rural areas and noted that the county should prepare for the next SmartScale round and revenue-sharing/TAP opportunities.
