Hillsdale Drive Extension

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Hillsdale Drive Extension
Hillsdale.jpg
A rendering of the proposed Hillsdale Drive Extended

Planned

Project Overview

Relieve congestion on Route 29 and the Route 29/Hydraulic Road intersection
Cost $30,549,000
Sponsor Charlottesville
Next meeting November 16, 2010 Design Public Hearing

Status Update

Right of way acquisition, waiting to accrue construction funds

Website Project Website
VDOT Dashboard [1]
Contact Jeanette Janiczek, VDOT Program Manager, Charlottesville

The Hillsdale Drive Extension is a planned roadway to create another north-south route from Albemarle County's urban section to the city of Charlottesville, parallel to U.S. Route 29. The stated purpose of the project is to relieve congestion on Route 29 and its Hydraulic Road intersection.

The project's proposed cost is over $30 million, though the actual amount to be spent on the road will likely be less because property owners along the alignment are expected to donate the right of way. [1]The road's design is being overseen by the Charlottesville's Neighborhood Development Services Department as part of the Urban Construction Initiative. The project manager is Jeanette Janiczek[citation needed].

The engineering firm of McCormick Taylor, Inc, has been hired by the city to lead the project. They are in charge of design, environmental assessments, right-of-way negotiations, and construction management.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board is set to fully fund the project at its meeting on July 18, 2012. [2]


Route

Citizens examine design at public hearing

The project will connect a section of Greenbrier Drive to Hydraulic Road, through the Seminole Square Shopping Center to Hillsdale Drive. The southern terminus was built as part of the Whole Foods project on Hydraulic[3].

On May 2, 2011, the Charlottesville City Council voted to use eminent domain to take a portion of the road's right of way from Meadowbrook Creek LLC, the developer of the Whole Foods. Even though Meadowbrook had offered to deed the right of way over to the city, a portion of the road is on land currently leased by the K-Mart Corporation. K-Mart has sued Meadowbrook for breaking the terms of its lease, complicating efforts to have the city acquire the property. Councilors voted 3-1 to begin the process of condemning the property. [4]

City staff told the MPO Policy Board in February 2012 that they were hopeful right of way negotiations would be completed by July 2013. They will negotiate with property owners to see if land can be donated in order to lower the cost of the project. [5]

Timeline

  • November 4, 2004: A location public hearing is held at the Senior Center
  • April 2006: Location study completed and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) approved it April 2006.
  • November 18, 2007: The Steering Committee holds fourth meeting[6].
  • December 20, 2008: Daily Progress reports funding for the project will not be available until at least FY2015, putting project outside of VDOT's Six-Year Improvement Plan[7].
  • A design public hearing is tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2009[8]. However, that time has since passed and a meeting has yet to be scheduled.
  • Mid-December 2009: Construction of first phase begins, to support new Whole Foods[9]
  • Summer 2010: First phase of road constructed, creating new traffic pattern on Hydraulic Road.
  • November 16, 2010: Design public hearing scheduled[10].
  • May 2, 2011: City Council votes 3-1 to take property for the first phase of the road by eminent domain. [11]

Safety Improvements

Main article: Hillsdale Drive Safety Improvements

Albemarle County is administering a separate project to add pedestrian crossings to sections of the existing Hillsdale Drive in the County. The first phase of that project is expected to be completed in 2009, but has been delayed multiple times. These improvements were called for by the Senior Center and its members[12].


Map

20101117HILLSDALE.jpg


References

  1. Web. Transportation Secretary Connaughton addresses area business leaders, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, June 27, 2012, retrieved July 13, 2012.
  2. Web. VDOT to fully fund Belmont Bridge, Hillsdale Drive Extension, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, May 17, 2012, retrieved July 13, 2012.
  3. Web. "Commission wants “holistic approach” to new Whole Foods store.", Tubbs, Sean J, Charlottesville Tomorrow News Center, Charlottesville Tomorrow, 14 Mar. 2008, retrieved 2 July 2009.
  4. Web. City to seize portion of Hillsdale Drive Extended, Chiara Canzi, C-VILLE Weekly, Portico Publications, May 10, 2011, retrieved May 10, 2011. Print. May 10, 2011 .
  5. Web. Design work on U.S. 29 widening to start this summer, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, February 26, 2012, retrieved February 28, 2012.
  6. Web. "Hillsdale Drive runs into post office concerns and a second movie theater.", Wheeler, Brian A, Charlottesville Tomorrow News Center, Charlottesville Tomorrow, 13 Nov. 2007, retrieved 5 July 2009.
  7. Web. Road projects in region hit speed bump, Rachana Dixit, Daily Progress, Media General, December 20, 2008
  8. Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization. Area Transportation Projects Project Status Matrix. Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, 16 June 2009. Web. 2 July 2009. <http://www.tjpdc.org/agendas_and_minutes/mpoTech/09_06_23/June09_Project%20Tracking.pdf>.
  9. Web. Development - Red dirt alert!, Cedermark, Andrew, C-VILLE Weekly, Portico Publications, 15 Dec. 2009, retrieved 15 Dec. 2009.
  10. Web. Neighborhood Development Services News & Notes, retrieved October 22, 2010.
  11. Web. City to try eminent domain over road near Kmart, Graham Moomaw, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, May 3, 2011, retrieved May 3, 2011.
  12. Senior Center website

External links