Caroline County committee reviews preliminary STAR study and SmartScale options for I‑95 interchange

Caroline County transportation committee members heard a preliminary STAR study and SmartScale update on interchange improvements near I‑95 and Route 639, with VDOT staff presenting three conceptual alternatives that include hybrid roundabouts, a divergent diamond and options that would add or replace a bridge over I‑95.

The presentation, introduced by Kyle (VDOT staff), summarized the study area — from the church down to New Green Road — and identified safety and operational problems at ramp terminals, limited sight distance at some approaches, and anticipated lane‑capacity deficits once planned developments add traffic. "Safety was a big concern," Kyle said when summarizing survey and crash data. He noted hotspot locations where a high share of crashes occurred at night and in clear weather, and that many collisions were angled, which are typically more severe.

Committee members discussed three preliminary alternatives: (1) a hybrid roundabout scheme that would likely require bridge work; (2) a divergent diamond or similar interchange that could avoid roundabouts; and (3) lower‑cost signalization of ramp terminals and bridge widening. Kyle said all three concepts would involve either replacing or adding a bridge in the corridor, and emphasized that no planning‑level cost estimates had yet been completed.

Committee members pressed staff on feasibility, phasing and funding. A member asked whether the existing bridge was structurally deficient; Kyle replied, "It's not structurally deficient," and said inspections are more frequent only when a structure is classified as deficient. Several members urged the study to include phasing plans and to look at "ultimate" 2055 conditions so near‑term improvements would not require repeated major reconstructions.

Members raised concerns about political support and funding. One committee member said a very large project "is probably not going to get funded" but still argued the committee should complete the technical work and weigh performance against cost: "Let's look at the performance of each and the cost of each one, and then we make our decision based on that," the member said. Kyle and others noted SmartScale Round 7 timelines and public outreach: staff expected public input later in the year and recommended having concepts refined by the end of the calendar year to support an application next year.

The committee also discussed interim or lower‑cost measures that could be implemented if large interchange projects are not funded. Options mentioned included signalizing ramp terminals or adding turn lanes as stop‑gap measures; one member cautioned that signals could reach capacity and require later replacement. Several participants recommended the committee present a clear technical recommendation to the Board of Supervisors and to align any SmartScale application with public and elected‑official support.

The committee asked the consultant and VDOT to return with refined modeling and planning‑level cost estimates. Kyle said the consultant would present the full STAR study to staff and the committee the following day. "We're gonna have a meeting tomorrow at 02:00 to go through this with the consultant and our clients," he said. Committee members said they want phasing scenarios and costs to inform which alternative the committee endorses for SmartScale.

Ending: The committee agreed to continue study and public outreach. Members planned to present an update to the Board of Supervisors in October; the consultant's bridge report was noted as July 26 in the presentation materials. No formal vote on any project alternative was taken during the meeting.