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Board directs staff to reapply for Smart Scale funding for Route 175 with reduced scope to lower cost
Summary
Accomack staff recommended and the board approved preparing a reduced-scope Smart Scale application for Route 175 (Chincoteague Road). The 2024 application scored low because of high project cost; staff will pursue a narrower proposal targeting high-crash locations and lower pavement widths.
County staff asked the board on June 17 for direction to submit another VDOT Smart Scale application for improvements to State Route 175 (Chincoteague Road) in the spring 2026 round. Deputy Administrator Lee Pambit reviewed previous applications from 2020, 2022 and 2024 and said the 2024 submission, a roughly $103 million project to widen a three-mile segment between Tees Corner and Atlantic Road to an undivided three-lane facility with wide shoulders, scored poorly in the district ranking largely because of cost.
Pambit said the 2024 application ranked 24 of 31 projects in the district with a score of 1.1; the lowest funded project in 2024 had a score of 4.45. To improve competitiveness, staff recommended sharply reducing project cost — potentially by about 75% — and narrowing scope to focus on targeted safety improvements: left-turn lanes at known high-crash locations, more modest shoulder widening rather than full 8-foot shoulders, and intersection or turn-lane work where crash data support it. Staff also noted a new marine-access option for oversized loads (which had previously driven a wider pavement width need) that could reduce the over-the-road pavement requirements.
Board members discussed safety hot spots, the seasonal nature of traffic on the corridor (which affects Smart Scale scoring), and local frustration that causeway improvements remain unaddressed. The board gave staff direction to proceed with a reduced-scope application and to work with the county’s consultant and VDOT to improve the application’s cost-effectiveness and score.
Why it matters: Route 175 serves Chincoteague and seasonal visitor traffic; the corridor has documented crash locations and congestion concerns, but Smart Scale scoring favors projects that balance benefits and cost. A smaller, more focused project may score more competitively in the Hampton Roads district.
Action: Board authorized staff to prepare and submit a revised Smart Scale application for spring 2026.
