Albemarle County outlines US‑250 corridor upgrades, Free Bridge Lane pilot and MicroCAT ridership in Pantops update

Albemarle County planning staff on Wednesday updated the Pantops Community Advisory Committee on a slate of transportation projects affecting the Pantops area, emphasizing safety, pedestrian access and funding timelines for state‑led improvements along U.S. 250 and Route 20.

The county’s deputy director of planning, Kevin McDermott, led the presentation and laid out project status, funding sources and expected schedules for several major items in and around the Pantops development area. “My name is Kevin McDermott. I’m the deputy director of planning,” he told the committee before reviewing corridor projects, pilot programs and the county’s comprehensive plan update.

The most advanced projects are two SmartScale awards on U.S. 250. One, described as U.S. 250 East Corridor Improvements from Route 20 to Rolkin Road, is an operational, pedestrian‑safety and access management project that includes a continuous median with limited openings, new sidewalk segments and ADA ramp upgrades; McDermott said design is nearly complete, right‑of‑way work is starting and construction is expected to begin early next year with a targeted completion in fall 2028. He said the project’s cost was “just under $6,000,000.”

A second nearby SmartScale project—reconstruction of the U.S. 250/Route 20 intersection—will be combined with the corridor work so construction can proceed together. The county’s estimate for that intersection reconstruction, which includes rebuilt signals, turn lanes and pedestrian facilities, was about $8,800,000; McDermott said both projects are on the same construction schedule.

A larger SmartScale recommendation covering U.S. 250 from Rolkin Road to Peter Jefferson Parkway was presented as a separate, bigger package of pedestrian, access‑management and congestion‑reduction elements. McDermott said that project was recommended for funding with a total estimated cost of $36,400,000; he cautioned that SmartScale awards are placed into the state’s six‑year construction plan and that state scheduling typically places authorization and construction money in the later years, meaning roughly a four‑year lag before work begins.

The county also described a conceptual park‑and‑ride at the U.S. 250/Peter Jefferson area and noted discussions with Westminster‑Canterbury about land ownership on Glenorchy Drive. McDermott said the county expects to continue negotiations with property owners as designs are refined.

Free Bridge Lane promenade pilot

McDermott reviewed the county’s one‑year pilot to close Free Bridge Lane to through vehicle traffic and convert it to a pedestrian‑ and bicycle‑oriented promenade. He said the closure was permitted by VDOT and the county has collected usage data during the winter. “We got a permit from VDOT that would allow us to do this closure, and, and we’re doing that until October,” McDermott said. He reported an unofficial count of about 19,000 pedestrian passes at the site since the closure.

The county will return to the Board of Supervisors in late summer with evaluation data and a recommendation on whether to remove the segment from the state system and accept maintenance responsibilities as a county‑controlled facility if the board wants it made permanent. McDermott noted the county is coordinating with Parks & Recreation and the newly formed Albemarle Parks Foundation on potential temporary amenities and, if approved, future improvements.

MicroCAT on‑demand service

MicroCAT, the county’s free, app‑based curb‑to‑curb shared service serving parts of Pantops and the 29 North development area, was described as a successful pilot. McDermott said the service began in October 2023, was scheduled to run two years and currently carries roughly 12,500 riders per month. The service is free, typically provides pickup within about 20 minutes and is intended to address first‑mile/last‑mile gaps to fixed‑route transit.

Route 20 pedestrian safety study

McDermott summarized a VDOT‑led Route 20 pedestrian improvement study initiated after a fatal pedestrian crash near Riverside Village. The recommended concept places a new crosswalk aligned with the Riverside Village breezeway, adds a mid‑street refuge median, extends sidewalks and removes a short 2‑lane section through the shopping‑center frontage so pedestrians cross only a single lane of traffic at a time. The design is intended to calm traffic by narrowing vehicular lanes and to support installation of rectangular rapid flashing beacons (pedestrian‑activated warning lights) where eligible.

Funding, timelines and planning context

McDermott walked the committee through common funding sources used by the county: SmartScale (state scoring and funding, state funds projects directly), revenue sharing (a state program that typically requires a county match and has contribution limits), Transportation Alternatives (federal funds routed through the state for bicycle and pedestrian projects) and federal programs such as RAISE and Reconnecting Communities. He highlighted that winning a RAISE (formerly BUILD) planning grant for the Three Notch Trail positioned that project for future implementation funding.

He also described how SmartScale awards are scheduled in the statewide six‑year plan and often do not provide construction funding until the later years of that plan. For example, the county’s recommended U.S. 250 corridor award is recommended for funding but likely will not see construction dollars for roughly four years, McDermott said.

Comprehensive plan and next steps

McDermott said transportation recommendations and objectives are being finalized for AC44, the Albemarle County comprehensive plan update, and that staff will present the transportation chapter to the planning commission in May before briefing the Board of Supervisors. He urged residents interested in bicycle and pedestrian priorities to stay engaged with supervisors and committee representatives as the county refines goals and projects.

Community questions and local concerns

Committee members asked about enforcement or automated red‑light enforcement at the Stony Point/Route 20 intersection, whether the large intersection projects would retain U‑turn movements, how MicroCAT could interact with fixed‑route service, options for bicycle crossings of the Rivanna River and concerns about queuing for left turns into a church driveway near Riverside Village. McDermott said the county would follow up with VDOT and the county police or county attorney’s office about automated enforcement and provide follow‑up materials and drawings to the committee.

No formal committee vote was taken on any project during the meeting. The county plans further outreach, VDOT review and board briefings before any construction authorizations or permanent changes to road ownership are made.

Looking ahead, McDermott said the county will present Free Bridge Lane evaluation results to the Board of Supervisors in late summer and continue to pursue federal and state grant opportunities for larger projects; SmartScale approvals will be finalized by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in June for the current round, he said.