Winchester committee backs applying for VDOT Smart Scale funds for Amherst Street safety upgrades

The Planning & Economic Development Committee voted June 25 to forward to City Council a resolution authorizing an application to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart Scale program for safety improvements along Amherst Street.

City Public Works staff said the scaled‑back proposal focuses on two Amherst Street intersections and would add protected‑only left‑turn signals, a second turn lane on northbound Meadow Branch, restrictions on left turns out of a McDonald’s driveway, and pedestrian refuge islands to improve crossings. “We backed the project back a little bit, to make it a little more appealing under the Smart Scale criteria,” the presenter said.

The project packet shows changes intended to reduce right‑of‑way acquisition needs compared with a previous 2020 application that did not win funding. Staff said Commonwealth (Smart Scale) funds would pay construction if the application is successful; city staff noted one small land acquisition from a private parcel (CVS) may still be required.

Committee members asked for clarifications about the two intersections covered by the application and the design of the refuge islands and median work. The presenter described one intersection (Meadow Branch/Hospital Drive and Amherst) as having three protected crosswalks and the other as having one, and said the raised median would protrude into the crosswalk to create a refuge. Staff also said they would coordinate access and right‑of‑way issues as part of the application and future project design.

The committee voted to forward the resolution to City Council with a recommendation for approval. The Council will consider the application next; if the city receives a Smart Scale award, design and right‑of‑way steps would follow before construction.