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Consultant lays out Richardson Road industrial park access options; VDOT funding paths explained
Summary
Engineer Sam Carroll (B & B) presented design options for the Richardson Road industrial park entrance, citing 200-foot taper/storage lane requirements and two access approaches (frontage road vs right-in/right-out). County staff outlined VDOT design funding up to $150,000 and implementation options tied to private investment or bonded programs.
Sam Carroll of B & B presented preliminary engineering and master-plan concepts for the Richardson Road industrial park, describing required road geometry and access options and advising the board to pursue cost estimates and VDOT review.
Carroll said the main entrance design will require both taper and storage lanes with minimum lengths of 200 feet each for left- and right-turn movements to accommodate tractor-trailer deceleration: "It requires both taper lane and storage lane, and the minimum lengths of those are 200 feet each." He described a single entrance lane into the park, a wider vehicle turning area for trailers and a two-lane egress arrangement separating through and turning traffic.
The board and consultant discussed two primary eastern-access strategies: (1) a separate right-in/right-out entrance that meets VDOT spacing standards and uses roughly half the asphalt of a full frontage-road option, and (2) construction of a frontage road or internal access that avoids building directly in a busy highway corridor but can involve greater earthwork and higher short-term costs. Carroll recommended producing cost estimates for both options, phasing construction (for example, constructing a crossing over the creek first) and bringing the plans to VDOT for review and design funding consideration.
County staff summarized VDOT funding programs for access roads: a design-only component that can cover 100% of design costs up to $150,000, an additional design-match component (50% up to $100,000), and two implementation channels—funding tied to prospect private investment or a bonded program that fronts construction costs subject to meeting investment thresholds over an agreed period (staff cited a repayment/recoup window of up to five years in some instances). The county was advised to have Sam provide a scope of work so the county (as VDOT applicant) can seek design funding. Staff also urged review of an RFQ to hire a commercial broker to market the park to the Richmond metro market.
Planning staff reminded the board that a county corridor overlay district limits direct access to U.S. Route 360 except at existing median breaks, which will influence where permanent access can be sited. Next steps recorded in the transcript: Sam to finalize master plan and preliminary engineering, county staff to prepare VDOT application materials, and the board to consider the RFQ and broker selection at a future meeting.
