Road projects face delay
By Ruth Marlow
Don’t expect any new road construction projects anytime soon in Clarke County.
The reason: There’s much less state money than anticipated even a month ago to spend on them – due to the economic slowdown and loss of abusive-driver fee revenue.
That’s what state transportation officials recently told county supervisors during a public hearing on the county’s six-year secondary roads plan.
The county stands to lose $1.3 million from fiscal year 2009 through 2014, according to updated revenue figures provided by Jeffrey Lineberry, residency administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Luray District, which includes the county.
In total, county officials would have approximately $3.3 million to spend on several major priorities, versus the nearly $4.7 million they had anticipated – a 28 percent cutback.
The budget cuts “will seriously challenge” VDOT’s ability to move road projects forward, Transportation Commissioner David Ekern warned in a letter to local governments.
The gloomy revenue forecast also means road improvement projects already in the plan could face delays, Lineberry said.
“Localities will have to make difficult decisions as to which projects are advanced in the secondary and urban systems,” Ekern stated.
Reconstructing Westwood Road (Route 636) is the county’ s top priority, according to the plan. Other priorities include reconstructing the intersection of routes 340 and 723 in Boyce to add a turn lane and replacing the bridge at Page Brook on Route 723 near Millwood. Also, improvements to unpaved Ebenezer Road (Route 604) are in the plan.
The Westwood project is on hold while the School Board considers where to build a new county high school, Board of Supervisors Chairman John Staelin (D-Millwood/Pine Grove) said, noting the scope of work that road could need depends on whether the school is located on it.
Lineberry stressed that VDOT funds road maintenance first, then construction projects.
If supervisors determine that VDOT’s plan fails to meet the county’s needs, they could reject it when they meet in April, Staelin said.
Contact the reporter at rmarlow@timespapers.com