VDOT brief to supervisors: Exit 45 widening, roundabout projects, and secondary roads prioritized in six‑year plan

Matthew Lewis, a VDOT representative covering Smyth and Washington counties (Speaker 16), presented the agency’s quarterly report and a list of active projects and timelines.

Lewis said crews have prioritized spring maintenance — shoulder work, ditch cleaning, pothole patching — and noted larger capital projects: an auxiliary/veil lane extension at Exit 45 with bridge widening (estimated completion around December 2027), a design‑build roundabout at the Ad Wolf area on Route 11 with a probable 2028 completion, and several bridge projects including Route 349 bridge work and Nicks Creek bridge rehab. He also described latex and plant‑mix paving schedules and explained how VDOT coordinates work with county crews to avoid repeated excavation. "That speed limit has changed in that area. Should be completed around December 2027," Lewis said when asked about Exit 45 timing.

Supervisors pressed for route‑specific details (which segments will receive plant mix vs. latex work), shoulder work and drainage plans, and whether projects would widen specific local bridges. Lewis said some primary routes will see partial segments paved while many secondary routes may be completed end‑to‑end; he committed to providing route sheets and completion dates on request. The transportation committee recommended amending the six‑year plan to prioritize a list of county roads (Carriage Road, Mill Dam Road, Haikle Road, Old Rosebrook Road, Rosenbald Hollow, Pew Mountain, Tilson Hollow), and the board set a public hearing for May 14 on the six‑year plan amendments.

Provenance: topic introduced SEG 286; Q&A and committee recommendation run through SEG 761.