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DDI chosen for Ashland Road (I‑64) interchange; Bennington realignment adds $12.4M funding gap
Summary
County staff said a divergent diamond interchange (DDI) is the preferred alternative for the Ashland Road I‑64 interchange and has been submitted to VDOT and the Federal Highway Administration; the report shows a Bennington Road realignment to preserve access but raises an estimated $12.4 million funding gap and prompted discussion of local and regional financing options.
Chair (speaker 2) told the Goochland County Board of Supervisors' transportation workshop that the Ashland Road interchange remains the county's top transportation priority and that field surveys and geotechnical borings are complete except for the bridge borings.
“The divergent diamond interchange was the favorite from the public standpoint,” the Chair said, and staff reported that roughly 450 participants submitted nearly 3,000 responses during the public engagement phase. He said the DDI has been submitted to VDOT central office and the Federal Highway Administration for review and that FHWA approval is scheduled for October. Construction is currently scheduled to begin in mid‑2028 and to finish in 2031.
The interchange report also details impacts to Bennington Road. Staff said the draft shows the existing Bennington intersection adjacent to the park‑and‑ride would be restricted to right‑in/right‑out unless Bennington is realigned; the draft includes approximately a 500‑foot extension to align Bennington with Martin Marietta's (Forest Road) entrance to restore full access for affected property owners and an existing business.
Staff presented project cost estimates and noted an allocated amount of $75,900,000. The IAR indicates interchange improvements without the Bennington realignment come to just under $85,000,000 and with Bennington to just over $88,000,000. Using the assumption that the county will include Bennington, staff used a working deficit estimate of $12,400,000. “As the design is refined, VDOT will continue to evaluate the project cost,” the Chair said, describing both local and regional options to address any deficit.
Board members questioned how the deficit might be reduced and where county funding could come from. Staff listed local options including earmarking CBTA local funds, proffers or general fund dollars, or issuing local bonds via referendum. Regional options discussed included reapplying for CBTA regional funds or using a permitted 10% administrative increase on a CBTA award (staff estimated that option could yield roughly $3.37 million for this project). Staff cautioned SmartScale funds cannot be used for Bennington realignment because that improvement was not in the SmartScale scope awarded to the project.
No formal vote was taken. Staff said engineering and right‑of‑way phases are fully funded and that the board has time to consider funding strategies as costs are refined.
