Possible upgrade to U.S. 460 falls victim to cuts

From staff reports
Published: December 18, 2008

A possible upgrade to U.S. 460 on Lynchburg’s southeastern side fell victim to state funding cuts on Thursday.

The 1.5-mile section between U.S. 501 (Campbell Avenue) and the U.S. 29 Madison Heights bypass was the only major Lynchburg-area road project affected by a rare, mid-year change by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The upgrade has been talked about for years but never materialized because funds always have been scarce. The current shortfall in expected transportation money apparently knocked it off the table again.

Almost $19 million had been budgeted for engineering designs and acquiring right of way. A public meeting to receive comments about the plans was held about a month ago.

Traffic there has increased significantly since the completion of the Madison Heights bypass in 2005, according to both state and local officials.

Gerry Harter, Lynchburg’s traffic engineer, said VDOT figures show the accident rate along the corridor has increased six-fold, jumping from five crashes in the 18 months before the bypass opened to 35 in the 18 months afterward.

Injuries reported during that time increased from two to 22, according to Harter.

Harter said he would have to consult with his counterparts at VDOT to determine how serious the cut was.

“If we’re allowed to keep the cash already allocated, it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “If they’re talking about taking everything and putting the project at $0, I would be very concerned.”

Allowing the project to retain the money already appropriated would at least enable crews to address the most critical problem points, Harter said.