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Franklin County backs three projects for 2026 SMART Scale round
Summary
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution supporting three local transportation projects for the Commonwealth’s SMART Scale Round 7, prioritizing a Brooks Mill/Scruggs roundabout, Henry Road/Route 220 intersection improvements, and a Route 220 superelevation realignment.
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors voted June 16 to back three county road projects for submittal to the Commonwealth’s SMART Scale Round 7 funding process. County planning staff told the board the projects were screened in during pre-application review and staff expects to submit the full applications by the August 1 deadline.
The county’s priority list places a roundabout at Brooks Mill Road (Route 834) and Scruggs Road (Route 616) first, intersection improvements at Henry Road (Route 605) and U.S. Route 220 second, and a superelevation realignment on Route 220 between Pleasant Hill Road and Willow Creek Road third. Planning Director Lisa Cooper presented concept plans and said the Brooks Mill roundabout had been submitted in previous rounds without funding and that the new application reflects updated engineering.
Why it matters: SMART Scale awards are competitive and fund multimodal, safety, and congestion projects that meet statewide and regional goals. Winning funding would bring design and construction dollars to county intersections that staff said have safety and geometry issues.
What was decided: The Board approved the consent-item resolution supporting the three submittals and the priority order. The motion to adopt the SMART Scale resolution was bundled in the meeting’s consent items and passed unanimously.
What’s next: Staff will finalize full submissions for the August 1 deadline and coordinate with VDOT on scoring inputs and concept plans. If funded by the Commonwealth, the county will be expected to follow the VDOT and CTB process for design, right-of-way and construction.
Context and process notes: SMART Scale projects are scored by VDOT and the Commonwealth Transportation Board. County staff emphasized the safety justification and prior round history when presenting the projects to the Board.
