U.S. Route 29

From Cvillepedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

United States Route 29 is a significant roadway through Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Plans to build a Western Bypass were debated for many years before the project was derailed by the location of the final resting place of Jesse Sammons. Funding set aside for that project was transferred to a series of projects known as the Route 29 Solutions.

Seminole trail

North of Charlottesville, U.S. 29 is signed Seminole Trail.

Route description

U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a major north–south route in the commonwealth of Virginia. It covers 248 miles from the North Carolina border at the city of Danville to the Key Bridge in Washington DC. US 29 roughly bisects Virginia into eastern and western halves. US 29 in Virginia has 11 bypasses around various cities and towns - among these are Charlottesville and Madison.

North of Lovingston, it enters mountainous terrain in the far western Piedmont close to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Several miles later, the route then continues north to Charlottesville, intersecting I-64 near the University of Virginia and bypassing downtown Charlottesville. US 29 rejoins its congested business route (Bus 29/Emmet Street) just northwest of downtown, continuing north as a six-lane road (Seminole Trail) through Albemarle County/Charlottesville's business district. Past Charlottesville, it converts back to four lanes and continues through Greene and Madison counties and then turns northeast toward Culpeper.

Western Bypass

Plans to build a Western Bypass were debated for many years before the project was derailed by the location of the final resting place of Jesse Sammons. Funding set aside for that project was transferred to a series of projects known as the Route 29 Solutions.

History

The alignment of U.S. 29 follows an old stagecoach route between Charlottesville and Lynchburg. [1]

in January 1925, citizens urged completion of a state highway south of Charlottesville at a meeting of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. [2]

The State Highway Commissioner told City Manager Seth Burnley in October 1933 that bids would still be sought for an uncompleted section approaching Charlottesville from the south. At the time, Route 29 had been completed north through Madison County to Culpeper. Obstacles included the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway near Lambeth Field. [3] The alignment of U.S. 29 follows an old stagecoach route between Charlottesville and Lynchburg. [4]

Citizens urged completion of a state highway south of Charlottesville at a meeting of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in January 1925. [5]

The State Highway Commissioner told City Manager Seth Burnley in October 1933 that bids would still be sought for an uncompleted section approaching Charlottesville from the south. At the time, Route 29 had been completed north through Madison County to Culpeper. Obstacles included the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway near Lambeth Field. [6]

Since 1928, when the Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 64, much of what is now the US 29 route in Virginia has been known as the Seminole Trail. Through Northern Virginia, it is known as the Lee Highway.

US 29 originated in 1931 as a replacement of US 170 from Danville to Lynchburg. It was then added to SR 18 between Lynchburg and Charlottesville and to SR 28 between Charlottesville and Culpeper. The route originally ended at US 15 in Culpeper.

On April 7, 1993, the Virginia General Assembly officially designated the entire length of US 29 from the North Carolina border to the Potomac River as the "29th Infantry Division Memorial Highway" in honor of the 29th Infantry Division, which, along with the 1st Infantry Division, formed the spearhead of the U.S. infantry that landed on the morning of June 6, 1944, on Omaha Beach in Normandy as part of the liberation of France during World War II. In addition, the name of this highway serves to honor many members of the Virginia Army National Guard who serve as part of this National Guard Division today. Signs indicating this designation have been placed periodically on both sides of US 29.

For most of its route through Virginia, US 29 has been constructed to be at least four lanes along its route, with the two short exceptions being where the highway passes through Manassas National Battlefield Park, where it is two lanes wide for approximately three miles, and through Fairfax and Arlington counties, where it is sometimes wider. It can also be six and eight lanes in much of northern Albemarle County.


Streetcar-photo-sim.jpg This Transportation-related article is a stub. You can help cvillepedia by expanding it.

Recent projects

20140723-route29solutions.jpg

These projects were recommended by Philip Shucet in the spring of 2014 following the demise of the Western Bypass. Their implementation was overseen by the Route 29 Project Delivery Advisory Panel. [7]

Opposition to grade separation

"Albemarle County and Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission staff are working with consultants to produce more definitive cost estimates for the five grade separated interchanges proposed along the US 29 North Corridor.

The issue of grade separation has been much debated with deep reservations expressed by the business community regarding the planned transportation network. Specifically, many voiced opposition to grade separated interchanges, noting that they are costly, disruptive to construct, and could have the affect of disconnecting traffic from vital community enterprises along this commercial corridor." Free Enterprise Forum February Forum Watch[citation needed]

Potential renaming

In October 2006, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors considered a request from the University of Virginia Athletics Department to rename the road from Seminole Trail to Cavalier Way, after the Virginia mascot. The renaming of the road became a front page story in The Daily Progress and the subject of an editorial in the paper. The matter was quickly dropped by the Board of Supervisors and no action was taken.[8]

2016 crashes concern

Three vehicles ran off the road within a mile of the intersection of U.S. 29 and Red Hill Road in southern Albemarle.[when?] [9]

Access management

The Places29 Master Plan called for limitations on future intersections between side roads and U.S. 29.

In January 2020, the intersection with Rio Mills Road and Polo Grounds Road was altered to prevent north-bound left-hand turns from U.S. 29 to Rio Mills Road, among other changes. [10]


References

  1. Web. National Register of Historic Places, Jennifer Hallock and Gardiner Hallock on behalf of the Piedmont Environmental Council, Application, Albemarle County, March 2, 2005, retrieved July 17, 2018.
  2. Web. Completion of State Highway , South of the City, Staff Reports, Daily Progress Digitized Microfilm, Lindsay family, printdate=January 22, 1925, retrieved May 16, 2016 from University of Virginia Library.
  3. Web. Bids Will Be Requested on Route 29 into City, Daily Progress Digitized Microfilm, Lindsay family, October 21, 1933, retrieved October 21, 1933. Print. October 21, 1933 page 3.
  4. Web. National Register of Historic Places, Jennifer Hallock and Gardiner Hallock on behalf of the Piedmont Environmental Council, Application, Albemarle County, March 2, 2005, retrieved July 17, 2018.
  5. Web. Completion of State Highway , South of the City, Staff Reports, Daily Progress Digitized Microfilm, Lindsay family, printdate=January 22, 1925, retrieved May 16, 2016 from University of Virginia Library.
  6. Web. Bids Will Be Requested on Route 29 into City, Daily Progress Digitized Microfilm, Lindsay family, October 21, 1933, retrieved October 21, 1933. Print. October 21, 1933 page 3.
  7. Web. VDOT sets aggressive deadlines for Route 29 projects, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, July 25, 2014, retrieved July 27, 2014.
  8. "Seminole Trail becomes Cavalier Way?" Wheeler, Brian A. Weblog post. Charlottesville Tomorrow News Center. N.p., 4 Oct. 2006. Web. 29 June 2009. .
  9. Web. Head-scratching over rash of crashes on U.S. 29 in southern Albemarle, Bryan McKenzie, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, January 9, 2016, retrieved December 27, 2016.
  10. Web. Rio Mills Road intersection changing, Staff Reports, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, January 4, 2020, retrieved January 5, 2020. Print. January 3, 2020 page A2.

Resources

RFQ for Route 29 design-build contract


External links