VDOT recommends five SmartScale projects for Halifax County; board must trim list by March
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Summary
A VDOT planner outlined five SmartScale applications for Halifax County—turn lanes, pedestrian work and two roundabouts—and said the board must prioritize four by the March meeting so applications can proceed to the April 1 pre-application deadline.
Carson Eckhart, Lynchburg District Planner for the Virginia Department of Transportation, presented SmartScale funding options and five recommended applications for Halifax County at a joint meeting of the county planning commission and board. "I'm the Lynchburg District Planner here with VDOT for the Lynchburg District," Eckhart said as he opened the presentation and framed the program's schedule and scoring.
SmartScale is a state-administered, data-driven transportation funding program managed by the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI). Eckhart said the program ranks projects on safety, congestion, accessibility and economic development, with land use acting as a modifier and environmental impacts able to reduce a project's final score. He described two funding pots: district grant funds for smaller projects and a statewide High Priority fund for large corridor or interchange work.
Eckhart recommended five projects for Halifax County to enter the SmartScale pre-application window. He emphasized no decision was required tonight but warned the board will have to cut one item between the pre-application and full-application phases so the county shifts from five potential applications to four moving forward.
The five projects Eckhart presented were:
- A right-turn lane onto Route 751 (Piney Grove Road) to improve capacity preservation and safety for trucks serving a nearby water-bottling plant; the proposal was described as a resubmittal from round 6.
- Sidewalk and pedestrian improvements in an urban development area from Westside Drive continuing toward the grocery store near Greens Valley; Eckhart said no pedestrian crashes were reported for that segment from 2021–2025 and noted the concept sketch is not final.
- Intersection reconfiguration at US 501 and Greens Folly Road to allow dual lefts and widened approaches, including signal modifications. Eckhart cited two severe injury crashes and 15 minor injury crashes in the study period for that location and said additional widening details will be determined during design.
- A single-lane roundabout at Sinai Road and Mountain Road, recommended from the 2021 South Boston/Town of Halifax safety and operations study; Eckhart reported one severe injury, five minor injuries and three suspected injuries for that intersection.
- A single-lane roundabout at Sinai Road and Greens Folly Road to tie into the pedestrian project if both are funded; Eckhart reported two severe injuries, six minor injuries and four suspected injuries at that intersection.
Eckhart explained why roundabouts are often favored: they reduce conflict points relative to traditional four-leg intersections, typically lower delay (he estimated roughly eight seconds of delay for roundabouts in the example) and reduce the angle crashes that were common at Greens Folly. He cautioned that all concept sketches are preliminary and would be refined if projects are funded.
Halifax County is part of the Southside Planning District Commission and is in a category where safety and economic development carry greater weight in district scoring, Eckhart said. He also reviewed the schedule: the pre-application window runs March 1–April 1 (if March 1 falls on a weekend, the next business day applies), boards should decide which projects to advance at the March meeting, the full application period follows, and final application materials (including a local resolution of support) must be submitted by July 15.
Eckhart noted Halifax County has had three SmartScale projects funded in recent years totaling about $25,000,000, including pedestrian work in the town of Halifax and roundabout/intersection improvements on VA 360 and US 501. He offered to follow up with any detailed technical questions by email and said VDOT supports each project on the presented list.
Next steps: the board and planning commission must prioritize the five recommended projects at their March meeting so the county can submit the selected projects in the pre-application window (deadline April 1); full application materials, including a board resolution of support, are due July 15.
