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Residents urge changes to Smart Scale road designs as Bedford considers Route 122, 460 and 221 projects
Summary
At a May 26 public hearing, residents told Bedford County supervisors that proposed Smart Scale designs—particularly a concrete median at Route 460/Me Road and large agritourism signage on Route 122—would reduce driveway access, create unsafe U‑turns on 60 mph lanes, and harm property values; staff said it will revisit the Me Road concept and return to the board at a June 9 work session.
A public hearing and presentation on May 26 put three Smart Scale candidate projects under scrutiny as residents pressed county staff to rework designs they said would create new safety hazards and reduce property access.
Eric, the community engineer, described the Smart Scale program and outlined three candidate projects: a center two‑way left turn lane along Route 122 near Halesport Bridge, intersection reconfiguration at Route 460 and Me Road (including a proposed physical median/barrier), and a set of improvements on Route 221 that would add crosswalks and a new signal at Ambassador Drive/Walmart. He emphasized that Smart Scale pre‑applications were submitted in March and that no local funding match is required.
Several residents who live adjacent to the proposed projects urged changes. Paul Kendall, who said his property is directly adjacent to the Route 460/Me Road intersection, said the plan would remove his direct driveway access and force drivers to “drive up to a half mile in 60 mph traffic” and attempt U‑turns without adequate deceleration lanes. “This design forces residents into maneuvers that many drivers would consider unsafe,” he said and urged a full corridor safety analysis rather than an intersection‑only review.
Courtney Kendall, a nearby homeowner, said eliminating direct access typically reduces functional utility and may depress property values. John Bohan and another resident from Casey’s Lake View Drive echoed concerns about driveway access, the lack of deceleration lanes and steep elevation changes on Route 122.
Steve Pritchard, speaking earlier during the citizen comment period, questioned agritourism permitting and the scale of proposed signage for agritourism uses on Route 122, describing 8x8‑foot illuminated signs as incompatible with the county’s rural character and a potential distraction at a hazardous curve.
In response, staff told residents they would revisit the Route 460/Me Road design and study alternatives to a concrete median — for example, painted islands, striping, or signage — and would try to assemble a viable Smart Scale application without a physical barrier if possible. The board scheduled a work session for June 9 to examine the projects in more detail before any formal resolution of support.
No formal board action was taken on the Smart Scale projects at the May 26 meeting; staff warned that applications are due later in the summer and that final Commonwealth Transportation Board selections would not be adopted until mid‑2027.
