What do you think of the Western Bypass?
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Seth Denizen: "It's part of the same logic as Meadowcreek Parkway, and it's the logic that puts transportation and development goals of the city over the priorities of residential neighborhoods."Hook staff -
Julia Fryer: "It would personally benefit me. I wish it wouldn't bother anybody else, of course, but it would cut off a lot of the time of my daily drive."Hook staff -
Beverley Butler: "I don't live in that area, but I do think the way it got presented to the Board of Supervisors very late at night last week so there wasn't an opportunity for public input was certainly not appropriate."Hook staff
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58 comments
I think it is funny. Let's see the rich battle the rich. I still have potholes in my street.
It will never happen. Just politics as usual in Albemarle County. We keep electing the same people so nothing ever gets done to improve Albermarle County.
Albemarle has squandered all of the money it was given by the state to build the bypass and so stalling is all they seem to know how to do when the question is raised as to why it hasn't been built yet. Do what you promised to do in order to get the money in the first place and quit "cowtowing" to the rich. My tax dollars that were given to you to build the bypass in the first place are still being squandered by the ACBOS. I wonder if Cuccinelli would be interested in finding out where all the money went. I'd sure like to see those documents made public!
Seth Denizen: "It's part of the same logic as Meadowcreek Parkway, and it's the logic that puts transportation and development goals of the city over the priorities of residential neighborhoods."
Hey Seth, why don't you ask the folks who live in the Woodhaven neighborhood about their priorities? Or the folks who live on Park Street? Most of them would tell you that they cannot wait for the Meadowcreek Parkway to be built so that their neighborhoods can stop being a thouroughfare for folks trying to get downtown.
While the Western Bypass threatens untold havoc on many County neighborhoods, nobody's house is going to get demolished if the City finishes its portion of the Meadowcreek Parkway. In fact, traffic pressure in several neighborhoods will decrease once the Parkway is complete.
long overdue
Those who blindly oppose the inevitable population growth, oppose most all transportation projects. They think more safe roads will invite more people to move here.
What about the safety and well being of those who live here?
Yes we need a Rt 29 bypass with some local traffic interchanges.
@Don, you are missing the point. The solution to "inevitable population growth" is to encourage transit-oriented development (you can google the term), which enourages denser housing (e.g., Belvedere) with proximity to shopping and services and enables better transit options that reduce the need for automobile traffic. Arlington, VA, was able to reshape itself from a strip-mall wasteland to a thriving community through policies that focused on transit-oriented development. New roads are rarely the answer--they just increase traffic and perpetuate the problem.
The Meadowcreek Parkway won't do a thing for residents of Park Street unless speed bump are also put there. Reducing the traffic count will only increase the speed.
The most severe problems on Park are during rush hour and it will always be a a route for people who think they can beat the crowds by going a different way, especially during rush hour. The people who are in a hurry and want to beat the crowd are the ones most likely to speed.
The biggest downside to the Meadowcreek Parkway is that it will make 5th St a thoroughfare for people trying to get through town creating an unfixable problem at the bottleneck of 5th/Ridge and Main, further blocking traffic in both directions at that intersection.
"The biggest downside to the Meadowcreek Parkway is that it will make 5th St a thoroughfare for people trying to get through town creating an unfixable problem at the bottleneck of 5th/Ridge and Main, further blocking traffic in both directions at that intersection."
Can I get an Amen?! This is already a nightmare intersection...takes several light cycles to get through as it is. I can't imagine it if they funnel even more traffic through the area.
Charlottesville / Albemarle politics are a joke. A minority of socialists in environmentalist sheep’s clothing have ruined this community. It would be funny if it were not harming the economy of the rest of the Commonwealth. All state funding for both municipalities should be cut off until this road is completed. Or the state should take the needed land, build the road, and make the local governments pay the bill. Enough is enough.
@Dawg, Though I agree with you that density and transit are helpful solutions, there is no transit in Belvedere. The bus doesn't go past North Ave on Rio Rd. For better or worse, Central Virginia is stuck with a car oriented society for at least the majority of the rest of your and my lifetime. Some roads are badly needed and long overdue. To plan for and encourage transit is good. To refuse to solve today's transportation problems is bad.
You've had 25 years and $50 million. You should be embarrassed. Every other locality on US 29 from the NC border to DC has built a bypass. Git 'er done.
Those who blindly oppose the inevitable population growth, oppose most all transportation projects. They think more safe roads will invite more people to move here.
What about the safety and well being of those who live here?
Yes we need a Rt 29 bypass with some local traffic interchanges.
These are the same people that clog up the roads on their bicycles
@Seth Denizen is an idiot, "In fact, traffic pressure in several neighborhoods will decrease once the Parkway is complete." Which neighborhoods are those?
NIX the western bypass.......... Let's start an EASTERN BYpass.. have you seen the mess from pantops to Rt 29N
Probably too little too late, but as Mamma always said, "It's better than nothing!", unless you're the type who enjoys reading bumper stickers and studying the debris on the side of the road.
One of the reasons these things become comedy in C/A is liberal cowards like Coy Barefoot. This afternoon he gave unedited, unquestioned voice on this issue to one of these socialist enviroposiers (Sierra Club anyone?) without any balance at all. This week TDP ran a "report" from, the Sierra Club like it was news. Liberals wimps like Coy and TDP and these hippy bullies cannot allow honest discussion. They lose every time. It isn't about a park, or a seldom used golf couse (that sucks btw) or a permitting process. It's about forcing an agenda on the people because they think they know what's best.
Ha.....what do you keep in those potholes?
Build more roads, and you'll just get more traffic to use those new roads. The end result won't be less congestion, it will be more vehicles/people coming into the area either to work or shop.
Developing Crozet and Ruckersville (i know, not Apbemarle, just saying) would probably do more to reduce Charlottesville traffic than building more big roads into Charlottesville.
Anyone have links showing maps of where the Western Bypass and Meadowcreek Parkway are supposed to go?
Seth Denizen looks like he really knows his stuff when it comes to transportation. He should be elected- the next Dennis Rooker. Not really good hair but awesome glasses! I think he used to hang out on the mall with some friends I knew. I am glad that my compatriots who get fired up about the bypass write and post and do all the other stuff they do to let everyone els know what is best. There are no vocal pro-bypass groups or anti-Sierra Club groups, so we can all assume that most people here in our fair city feel the same way about these new roads as Seth, Dawg, and I feel.
@Truth- I love how conservatives love to come forward and use names like truth, as if they themselves have the gospel, while complaining about the supposed liberals doing the same.
Who cares whether the golf course is up to your personal standards. The Prk belong to the City, and was given to remain a park, not become a highway so people from the county could commute in. Thats not being liberal, that's following the intent of the gift. Rio/Park was always a main pathway into the city, and while I appreciate their frustration, I also know the solution is not to build another road, but to put pressure on Albemarle about its development.
What it really comes down to, is that you need to stop using labeling to avoid facing the reality that your just mad that someone stood up to your agenda, and said you don't get to force it down their throat either.
@Caesonia: You have both missed and made my point honey. This isn’t about the park, the golf course, or labels. It is about anti-capitalists who want to stop progress for the rest of us. They disguise themselves as environmentalists like the Sierra Club, which is driving a lot of this, but they don’t give a crap about the environment.
Charlottesville is not an island or a commune, it is part of the larger Commonwealth and it is past time that it wake up from this 40 year imported liberal dream of Utopia. Drive 20 miles out of town in any direction and ask the first Virginian that you meet what they think about C-Ville. The world does not end at I64, Crozet Pizza, Target, and Pantops.
Can we get a map with an overlay of the proposed bypass? Just not sure what you're talking about. Maybe I missed it? Thanks.
Jebmeister: "Every other locality on US 29 from the NC border to DC has built a bypass."
We built one too. It's called the bypass (see this week's cover of the Hook), but you want us to build you another one, I guess.
Newin Town: "Build more roads, and you'll just get more traffic to use those new roads."
Thank you. I wish more people would recognize this known fact about induced demand. Many have been misled into believing the Western Bypass will reduce congestion on the 29 corridor. Typically, bypasses just give short-term relief but lead to even worse conditions in the long-term. There's fifty years of examples from around the country to prove this point, and we should know better by now. Welcome to town, by the way.
Truth, "It is about anti-capitalists who want to stop progress for the rest of us"
You'd probably make more sense if you stopped trying to shove this issue into your imaginary war between hippies and freedom-lovers (or whatever you want to call yourself). The bypass does not neatly fit into these categories, and there are a variety of reasons to believe it is a bad idea that have nothing to do with liberal politics.
Put in a tunnel from around the I-64/29 interchange and run it up north of Ruckersville. As far as the current plan, it falls short of what is now needed based on the growth since the ink dried on the original blueprints.
I think there are arguments to be made either way, but at this point it seems like this proposal could be characterized a couple of ways. One way it can be characterized is a quarter billion attempt at an economic stimulus for Southside Virginia. The other way is a quarter billion 6-mile new road that makes travel quicker for less than half of the individuals who use currently use 29.
If the former, It seems rather interesting (if not hypocritical) that conservative officials are primarily driving this construction. It seems highly likely that, if this is the case, many of these same public officials would be highly critical of government spending in Washington for the same purpose of economic revival. In addition, it would seem that the connection of economic development and the 6-mile bypass would be more tenuous. How many more people are going to be willing to locate their business in Danville or Lynchburg because a few minutes will be shaved off their drive from points south to DC or beyond? Would these businesses not just choose some location closer to I81 or I95? Further frustrating any such claim is the fact that development has spread from the proposed terminus to Ruckersville.
There are several approved and proposed commercial, business, and residential developments north of the endpoint. There is the Hollymead Town Center, North Pointe, Briarwood phase 2, Gateway Center in Greene, the development just over the Greene County line, NGIC expansion, and the UVA research park. It seems very likely that within a few years, we will be dealing with similar conditions as now, just 6 miles north. For example, one could easily imagine the bottleneck that is 29/Hydraulic/250 will just become the "Forest Lakes bottleneck" where the proposed bypass not only reconnects with 29, but does so where there is only a 4-lane highway (as opposed to 6). Without any regional planning dealing with growth, growth will simply continue to spread through Greene and possibly Madison. As a result, the area, points south, and the state generally will be dealing with the same conditions a decade or so later.
If the latter is the claim, it would seem to be a an inefficient use of resources. I can remember studies published in various news articles saying that over half of the traffic on 29 North in Albemarle (Charlottesville really has nothing to do with this at all) originates and ends between the bypass and the Rivanna. Wouldn't it make more sense to make improvements along 29 in the form of interchanges, parallel roads, or other improvements that would have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people (of course assuming that studies support the claim that they would improve traffic flow and would be similar in costs)?
Considering the growth planning (or lack thereof) and the traffic patterns on 29, is this not a classic example of an inefficient use of government resources that is driven primarily for political rather than sound fiscal and developmental planning? What am I missing here? I am sure there is a forceful argument to be made for the other side. I'm just not so sure it is stronger than the inefficiency argument.
C, What you've said is very reasonable. Based on what I'm hearing, most of the support for the bypass is based on inertia from the past and some sort of grand culture war meta-narrative that casts Charlottesville (somehow wrapped up in this) as the villain. I'm not hearing much actual reflection on the benefits of the particular transportation improvement, weighed against its costs.
It seems that some constituencies have simply wanted this really, really badly for a really, really long time, and it's more about getting what they want than it is about what they actual get for the price.
"The other way is a quarter billion 6-mile new road that makes travel quicker for LESS THAN HALF of the individuals who use currently use 29"
My emphasis added.
I believe the number (at the last traffic study) was 10%.
There are a couple of mistakes on my part (I type slower than I think and get ahead of myself) *Eliminate one "use" (should read ("currently use") *Should read "political reasons."
@New Reality - I agree. As much as the constant studies in this area irk me at times, I think this is definitely a time to slow down and evaluate the situation.
@Wait - That's the number I was thinking as well, but wasn't sure. I think it was something like 60 percent of the traffic was between Hydraulic and Rivanna and 90 percent was between the bypass (possibly as far south as Lovingston) and Ruckersville. Again, I am not completely sure on the numbers. Nonetheless, it doesn't seem to add much support for the current construction plans on the efficiency front.
That's right Walt. I bet the traffic on the bypass will be less than 1500 or 3000 per day (about 5%) I really don't think many people at all are driving through Charlottesville on their way north or south. Now people DO pass through on I-64. That is a real road. Heck, back in the mid-eighties that road was less traveled than 29 North is now.
Truth- I know that there have been studies that show that most traffic on US29 in Virginia originates and terminates in Charlottesville (and sometimes Northern VA). Have you never been to Crozet? There really isn't anything past it. Now about Danville- it sure proves our point when it was announced that the twelfth Cray supercomputer in the US would be housed right in Danville. Did they need a bypass to land that thing? Here in Charlottesville, we don't have anything like a Cray... but we have the U and a new fort.
The wealth of knowledge that these posters display makes me wonder if the just how many are actually urban planners or traffic engineers. Why can't the VDOT workers see the truth and scuttle these wasteful, nature despoiling projects.
No one knows what that outdated road would cost at this point, and in this era of limited funds for road improvements, it is beyond absurd to think this is worth pursuing.
It would have been great the year I moved here -- 1983!
It is almost laughable in its outdatedness. While we're at it, let's build a horse & buggy path.
Most politically savvy folks see this for exactly what it is: a maneuver by Connaughton to shut Lynchburg and Danville up....taking advantage of the perfect storm of idiocy sitting on Albemarle's Board right now.
The "it's better than nothing mentality" is not only short-sighted, it's just plain incorrect. When this money is gone, there will be none left for a REAL bypass that gets traffic north of the Target/Hollymead sprawl.
Sad.
For @natureboyric - this from the 1997 Route 29 Bypass Design Advisory Study:
"18) Patsy Napier: VDOT Comments
Design actions toward goal include:
* Movement of through traffic enhanced by limited-access roadway
* No intermediate interchanges
* Will pull 24,400 cars/day off Route 29 North Business (for design year 2022)
* UVA is considering a multimodal facility in the North Grounds area"
That's right, Greene Man.
1997. I repeat. 1997.
Seems so recent, doesn't it? Nope. It was 15 years ago, lonnnng before Target and Kohl's were even a twinkle in Wendell Wood's eye. You know...this bypass would work out beautifully for him. Bypassing traffic from all of the other shopping districts right into his. And all funded by our taxpayer dollars. Beautiful.
Caroline - and yet knowing the route for the Bypass, the Supervisors went right ahead and approved all the development you mention plus building a new school near the route (and approving North Pointe) to try to cripple/kill the Bypass or any future extension of the route. This had nothing to do with WW - it's all NIMBY. The counties north and south of Albemarle are very strongly in favor of the Bypass.
I am also in favor of a bypass -- but let's build the right one. Can you honestly look your children and grandchildren in the eye and say that THIS PARTICULAR BYPASS is a wise investment? One that will truly relieve congestion on Route 29, as we know it now...not the way it looked 15 years ago?
I cannot. Because I know in my heart I'd be lyin'.
P.S. And please take note of which of the current Supervisors wanted to add MORE parcels on 29 North to the growth area.
Yep. No surprises here at all. In fact, as I recall, Boyd & Co. tried to ram it through on the "Other Matters" portion of the agenda yet again.
Despicable.
Caroline - we can have a "good" Bypass in the near future, and it is probably the only one possible in this day and age - if you want "the right one" we will need to start the entire process all over again - looking at past efforts in road construction around here, can you look your children in the eye and say -"Yes we will build a Bypass, but probably not in YOUR lifetime"?
I would rather have NO bypass than some ridiculous mini-loop leading to Target, which will soon just be the beginning of a whole new sea of northern development.
Why on earth would we want to be foolish enough to do that. Just to say "we did it?!" What exactly are we proving there, Greene? That we can save 15 minutes of travel to get to Hollymead?
Kinda silly when you think about it... ;-)
You know, sometimes it's OK to admit that something is wrong. This state government won't be in power forever, and thankfully neither will the local one.
Try to look at this from a REGIONAL point of view - non-Albemarle residents don't want to "get to Hollymead" - we want to BYPASS the commercial strip mall and traffic light nightmare that Rt 29 has become - this is about moving through-traffic from north to south and vice versa - I would love to see the Bypass route start at the Greene/Albemarle county line - but that isn't going to happen - half a loaf is better than none. If you don't want a bypass on principle, that's fine - I want one for very practical reasons, and so does most of the rest of the state. It's our money too.
And boy...won't the rest of the state be surprised when they are dumped (along with all the 18-wheelers) right below Hollymead, back into what they thought they would be avoiding.
In case you didn't read, I am in favor of a bypass. One that makes sense. This isn't that one, and most reasonable people will admit it. Half a loaf? This is not even close.
Caroline - don't be snide - I do read, (Perhaps I might has said "don't want THIS bypass"....) but most reasonable people will also acknowledge that what you want will not get built any faster that the Meadowcreek Parkway. Build this Bypass as Phase I and later a grade separated interchange at Airport Road - but START NOW!
You must have a decent plan by which to begin. That does not yet exist. The state should take time NOW to create that plan and begin building accordingly. There is NO LONG TERM PLAN on the books, Greene. That's the problem.
Can't you tell when someone is just throwing you a bone to shut you up??
I can.
Maybe we can talk about it more when we're sitting in traffic at the Target. :-)
P.S. You do know that if the bypass were built tomorrow, there would still be an "F" level of traffic on 29, don't you?
That's from extensive VDOT studies.
Facts based on existing traffic flows, factoring in bypass usage.
Facts, Greene.
You go right ahead and enjoy the fairly tale of this bypass magically making everything all better for us, but I prefer to live in reality.
You go Caroline! Not are you only wise, but you can give some attitude with it. I'm betting that you are one of those who have some traffic planning experience. You also know about the Woods conspiracy with VDOT; he knows how to bring the traffic to him. I bet he would strip mine his land if we let him. This bypass is not half a loaf- it is a mere two or three slices that is being served to old Mr. Wood on a platter. He is also in cahoots with the Wahoo-ligans and their plans for the multimodal center at the North Grounds. Actually this is all about the Republicans and their plans to destroy our country. Isn't that the party of all the pro-bypass thugs?
Thanks for the encouraging words, Boyric. Probably too much attitude but in the 30 years I've lived here I have never been so outraged. I've worked with local governments in other countries for many years now, and I know a rat when I smell one.
Regardless of whether "this" bypass is right or wrong, the process by which it has been revived is one of the worst things I have witnessed in my time on this planet. And interesting that it only took Secretary Connaughton a few days to backtrack on the "promises" he made to Mr. Dorrier...if he in fact made them at all. Who knows? When government operates in the dark, we can only guess.
I think this data is also very relevant: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/virginia_map.html. The Charlottesville Metro Area is now over 200K people. Greene, Louisa, Fluvanna, and Albemarle all had growth rates above 20 percent between 2000 and 2010. (SN: There may be a calculation problem with Albemarle given the miscounts in 2000 when 4,000 county residents were wrongly included in Charlottesville. In any event, the rate was probably still in the upper teens or above 20 percent). I think this data is important for two reasons. The first is that it should make us question whether, once again, spending a quarter billion dollars on one 6 mile stretch of road is an efficient use of resources considering the growth is skewed towards the east. The second reason it is important is because it shows just how dispersed growth has become and the importance of regional development planning. With Greene growing at a rate that is above 20 percent and northern Albemarle likely doing the same, it won't be long before Rivanna to Ruckersville looks very similar to the Hydrulic to Rivanna 29 stretch.
Caroline - Hindsight, as they say is 20/20 - if you look back in time there were several routes considered (and rejected) that would have done what you describe:
http://www.roadstothefuture.com/US29_Charlottesville_Bypass.html
How is it that you will reach any agreement on a "long-term plan" given the track record in Albemarle for consensus?
Starting over - identifying a new route - acquiring land - finding funding - doing endless studies - litigating endlessly to try to achieve some dream of what will be the best solution for traffic 25-30 years hence? And in the meantime? Frankly, I don't care if there will be an "F" Level on traffic on Rt. 29 - Supervisor Humphris pushed the widening of 29 North and dumped vast resources into accomplishing that (to the exclusion of moving ahead with the Bypass) and look what it accomplished. I'm a realist - We have to agree to disagree - I would rather have the ability to zip down the Bypass as planned and avoid Strip Mall USA than starting all over and getting nothing - given your "30 years here" and my age, we'll be playing checkers with Elvis long before anything like what you desire can come about. Have to end the thread here - work calls. Bye!
"I would rather have the ability to zip down the Bypass as planned and avoid Strip Mall USA."
Me too, Greene Man. And unfortunately this bypass will not accomplish that.
A bypass is only part of the solution to the 29 North traffic woes. The county and city need to work together to foster mass transit. If 29N is going to become one huge strip mall, then there is no reason there can't be dedicated bus lanes or a trolley carrying people up and down the road, with parking in the various mall parking lots. Look at Portland, OR, and other small cities that have looked at all modes of surface transit and planned accordingly--they have done a tremendous job of mitigating traffic and improving quality of life. It is true that any bypass will be only a short-term solution--new roads generate more traffic.
The bigger picture is that our car-dependent way of life is unsustainable in the long term. The sooner we start planning for that, the better.
"I would rather have NO bypass than some ridiculous mini-loop leading to Target, which will soon just be the beginning of a whole new sea of northern development.
Why on earth would we want to be foolish enough to do that. Just to say "we did it?!" What exactly are we proving there, Greene? That we can save 15 minutes of travel to get to Hollymead?"
You're a complete cretin as usual. Do you know how many people work north of town that have to get into the city limits for their jobs? Residents from Greene and Madison aren't coming into Charlottesville to shop, they're doing it because they have no other choice going into town in the morning to work and leaving 4-6 PM.
If you want to alleviate congestion "naturally" you can build more housing in the city to make it more affordable. Oh wait but that would make all the idiot liberals limp out because of their piece of garbage "historic" districts like the ugly housing down Rio Road and Belmont that only the walking dead and the hysterical clucking hens care about. The same cretins like yourself that whine whenever any new developments get put in are the same ones that whine about roads that are the only workarounds to the problems they caused in the first place.
At 3.50 a gallon for gas, if you think you can afford to drive from Madison daily, but not live in Charlottesville, or the inner parts of Albemarle, you aren't too smart. I have never understood this illogic, and with so many places in foreclosure in the current market, its just plain foolish.
But we know you aren't real interested in fact Cruncher, or using you grey matter, form other posts. Your need to label everything that threatens you as 'liberal' and comments on Belmont and Rio are just more evidence.
Developers are happy to build more housing in Charlottesville, for wealthy retirees, and empty nesters, because they can make lots of money off of them, not the working folk who are paid substandard wages throughout the region. But the market won't bare that now that every last piece of liquidity has been sucked out of the market into the hands of the top 1 % and the banks.
"You're a complete cretin as usual. Do you know how many people work north of town that have to get into the city limits for their jobs? Residents from Greene and Madison aren't coming into Charlottesville to shop, they're doing it because they have no other choice going into town in the morning to work and leaving 4-6 PM.
If you want to alleviate congestion "naturally" you can build more housing in the city to make it more affordable. Oh wait but that would make all the idiot liberals limp out because of their piece of garbage "historic" districts like the ugly housing down Rio Road and Belmont that only the walking dead and the hysterical clucking hens care about. The same cretins like yourself that whine whenever any new developments get put in are the same ones that whine about roads that are the only workarounds to the problems they caused in the first place."
Despite your immature name-calling, your facts are also erroneous. If you are able to read, why not check out the VDOT traffic studies on the percentage of vehicles using which parts of Route 29? And I don't "whine" about new developments, I just believe that roads should be improved to handle the traffic before more rural area is rezoned for strip malls.
I am guessing you haven't read the US 29 Corridor Study, the county's plan for parallel roads, or much of anything else that is fact-based. After you do that, I would welcome a conversation with you about how to best move commuter traffic up and down 29. But until you have fully informed yourself, I would suggest you refrain from the name-calling. Honestly, it just makes you look really stupid.
Oh, that was "The Cruncher" I was addressing that too.
Perhaps I am talking to a potato chip?
The proposed bypass rums from Lenorad Sandridge, under the current bypass and then up to the new UVA research park. It is allmost a straight shot from UVA to the research park. That is what it is for. This is a planned 560 acre industrial park with research, offices, hotels shops, etc that straddles land between 29 and the airport. The bypass makes this land much, much, more valuable to UVA. At its core, the bypass will not improve local traffic but will make this a very really great piece of land for UVA. Not that I am against value. But that is not how the bypass is being sold, and I think if the public was aware that they are taking on $300M in debt for a road that will not help them much but transforms the value of land for developers, then perhaps perceptions would change about what was in the best public interest.
Pekoe, you have got it right, and then the other part of that nasty potential is a cloverleaf where the rock store is that dumps you off onto a four lane version of earlysville and airport roads to make it easier to access the airport/research park nexus. Originally, at least, the University had plans to develop an Orlando style convention center out there...if only it was a little easier to get back and forth.. The university is one of the biggest realestate players here.
This road should not be built. I am not anti-growth, or anti-car, and we do need to improve the road network in this area. I also support the Meadowcreek Parkway.
However, the western bypass, in it's current incarnation is already obsolete. Those who point to Lynchburg, Danville and the rest, should note, that Lynchburg has twice bypassed congested areas - only to have those obsoleted as the sprawl reaches just a little further down 29S. Danville is an exception only because Danville is in an economic tailspin and not growing. The congestion of 29N now extends to nearly the Madison border.
We need to have a limited access corridor - where we do not allow every Tom, Dick and Harry to have a driveway - or more pointedly: a left-turn traffic signal - on the main road. This should run right down the middle of the existing 29N corridor, with grade separated exchanges and access roads.
I want to see a proposal for a 2 lane true bypass beginning at Ruckersville and going east to 64. Some 10-15 mile route.
The comment by Pekoe is intriguing.