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VDOT and county outline multi‑project Ivy Road pipeline plan including two roundabouts and shared‑use path
Summary
VDOT and Albemarle County presented a coordinated package of improvements for the Ivy Road/Old Ivy corridor: two roundabouts, a closed median between them, a triangle 'one‑way' reconfiguration, lane extensions at the US‑29/250 ramps and a south‑side shared use path with a formalized underpass. Staff sought Board feedback; no formal action was required.
County transportation staff and VDOT presented a pipeline package of recommended improvements to the Ivy Road corridor designed to improve safety, reduce congestion and enhance multimodal access. Jessica Hirsch Ballering, principal planner for transportation, said the package — developed with VDOT and scored highest by an online public survey of more than 1,200 respondents — includes roundabouts at Boar’s Head Drive and the Old Garth/Canterbury intersection, median closure between the roundabouts, a triangular one‑way configuration to channel turning movements, acceleration/deceleration lane extensions on the US‑29/250 interchange, and a south‑side shared use path with a raised 6‑foot sidewalk through the railroad underpass.
Ballering said the recommended package was selected because the elements work together to produce broader level‑of‑service improvements in the 2045 horizon year; consultants’ modeling showed failing movements in a no‑build scenario improving to A/B levels with the roundabouts. Supervisors asked detailed operational and multimodal questions — including how the shared use path will tie through the narrow railroad underpass, whether sound walls would be required near new ramp improvements, and how competing pipeline studies will be sequenced for Smart Scale funding. Ballering said the project was not included in the current Smart Scale submittal but could compete in the 2026 round; she also noted county preferences for maintaining two‑way vehicle traffic through the underpass while formalizing one‑direction entering flow with signal control to protect pedestrians and bicyclists.
Board members asked staff to follow up on several design details for the consultants, including alternative sequencing of the roundabouts, potential right‑of‑way impacts to a nearby gas station and consideration of pedestrian crossings near the underpass. Ballering said staff will return with more detailed consultant analyses if the Board wants further refinement prior to funding submittals.
