Halifax supervisors back three VDOT SmartScale applications, prioritize Sinai sidewalk

VDOT staff presented five potential SmartScale projects for Halifax County on March 2 and described scoring, schedules and right‑of‑way considerations. The slate included a US‑58/Route‑751 turn lane, a Sinai Road sidewalk, intersection improvements at US‑501/Greens Folly and two roundabout concepts at Sinai Road.

The presentation noted crash histories and cost constraints that affected prior scoring. VDOT said the two roundabout concepts showed the largest safety benefits in internal scoring but acknowledged concerns about heavy truck traffic and potential right‑of‑way acquisition.

Public commenters, including Sinai Road residents, pressed the board to prioritize a permanent sidewalk because of documented pedestrian incidents and near misses; speakers recounted fatalities and pedestrian injuries on the corridor and argued the temporary surface was inadequate.

After discussion of costs, truck access and timing, the board instructed staff to submit three SmartScale pre‑applications by April 1, in this priority order: Sinai Road sidewalk (priority 1), Greens Folly/US‑501 turn lanes (priority 2) and the US‑58 turn lane (priority 3). The motion to submit the projects was moved and seconded by supervisors on the floor and passed on voice vote followed by formal motion language recorded in the minutes.

The board also directed staff to explore potential alternative funding streams (TAP, revenue sharing) if projects were not funded in this round. VDOT staff said if a project is not funded this cycle, it can be revised and resubmitted in 2028.

Next steps: Staff will finalize preliminary application materials by the April 1 pre‑application deadline and return to the board with detailed cost estimates and any required resolutions of support prior to full application submittal in June.