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Residents press for more dirt-road funding as VDOT outlines repairs and rural projects
Summary
Residents at the Scott County meeting urged more funding for 252–253 miles of county dirt roads; VDOT's Alan Sumter said crews are addressing mowing delays, a Route 72 sinkhole, and several rural-rustic projects but federal permitting and resource juggling limit immediate fixes.
Several residents used the citizen-expression period to press the Board of Supervisors for more funding and attention to Scott County's dirt roads. Peggy Tyson and others said Snowflake Road and many other unpaved routes are straining buses and vehicles and urged delegates and the county to seek more resources for paving and maintenance.
Alan Sumter, VDOT residency representative, told the board crews have struggled with equipment breakdowns and unusually rapid grass growth this season, which slowed mowing schedules in several maintenance sections. Sumter said primary mowing is underway and crews are addressing sight-distance issues and that recent tractor repairs have helped restore capacity.
Sumter described repairs already underway, including excavation and backfill at a Route 72 sinkhole with planned ditch work, riprap placement and turfing to prevent future undercutting; he estimated about two more weeks to complete that repair. He also outlined rural-rustic projects (including Horton Summit and Obies Creek) and said some paving was delayed to meet federal reimbursement deadlines tied to disaster-declaration work.
On private ditching, Sumter warned against homeowners doing unpermitted ditch excavations because of liability and environmental-permitting constraints under the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; he advised landowners to use proper land-use permits or coordinate with VDOT so work complies with erosion-controls and endangered-species checks.
Residents asked about guardrails and long-delayed bypass projects (e.g., Moxon Gap). Sumter said guardrail installs require traffic-engineering review and HSIP qualification and that the bypass concept remains very expensive (previous estimates in the tens of millions). Board members and residents said they will continue to press state representatives for additional funding and welcomed VDOT's plan to return with updates in December.
The board did not take a formal vote on additional funding at this meeting but directed staff to continue coordination with VDOT and invited VDOT back for a December update.
