Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Leesburg Route15 Withdrawal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Leesburg withdraws Route 15 bypass application as project cost climbs to about $240 million
Summary
The Town of Leesburg asked NVTA to withdraw its Route 15 bypass project to redesign after estimated costs rose from roughly $185 million to about $240 million; the finance committee approved closing out related SPAs and waiving reimbursements.
The NVTA Finance Committee on July 9 unanimously approved the Town of Leesburg's request to withdraw its Route 15 bypass project from current NVTA consideration while the town redesigns the project to reduce costs.
Staff reported the town asked to withdraw because project cost estimates had grown from about $185 million to roughly $240 million. Staff said two of three previously awarded service-performance agreements (SPAs) for early studies have been closed out and reimbursed; one SPA for design work remains partially reimbursed (about $5 million). The staff recommendation included waiving reimbursement for earlier study SPAs, classifying all unreimbursed funds associated with the project as uncommitted within the regional revenue fund, and allowing the town to reapply in the future after redesign and coordination with VDOT and Loudoun County.
Mayor Burke addressed the committee and said Leesburg did not want to cancel the project permanently but needed to redesign to lower costs and improve the cost-benefit ratio. Committee members expressed understanding and support for the withdrawal given the large cost escalation and the town's efforts to seek additional state funding through smart-scale and other grants.
A motion to close out related SPAs, waive reimbursement for study SPAs and reclassify unspent funds as uncommitted was made, seconded and passed by voice vote.
