PROJECT HISTORY
A Location Study for this corridor was administered by the City of Charlottesville and guided throughout the process by a Steering Committee that included City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County elected officials and staff, members of local businesses and surrounding community members. Four alternatives were considered as part of the study. In addition to the conceptual design features that were developed, traffic counts, noise readings and other information such as wetland delineation, endangered species, cultural resources and hazardous material investigations were conducted as part of the environmental document (finalized on February 8, 2006.)
Throughout the Location Phase, the public was offered numerous opportunities to review the Study’s progress and to provide important insight into the development of the alternatives. On November 4, 2004, a Location Public Hearing was held at the Senior Center to present the results of the study. Ninety-seven individuals attended the hearing, many of whom provided written or oral comments while many others submitted written comments during the 10 days following the hearing.
On March 7, 2005, the City of Charlottesville passed a Resolution approving the location of the proposed Hillsdale Drive Extension utilizing the Alternative “C” alignment. On April 6, 2005, Albemarle County passed a similar resolution in support of the project. On July 21, 2005, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the proposed location for the extension of Hillsdale Drive from Greenbrier Drive in Albemarle County to Hydraulic Road in the City of Charlottesville.
This important transportation corridor will provide an alternative to the existing Route29 corridor for local traffic and improve access to existing and future businesses in this area. The City and County’s Resolutions stand to advance the project while addressing public comment collected during the Location Study.
The City has selected the engineering firm of McCormick Taylor, Inc. to continue the work of the Location Study through the Preliminary Engineering phase by working on the design, environmental, communications, right-of-way and construction management tasks for this project. The design effort is being led by the ten conditions (add link here to them) developed by the Steering Committee and supported by the City.
The next step in the project’s progress is the Design Public Hearing. The project team has been working diligently to refine and advance the design – utility coordination, landscaping plan, lighting/signalization plan, along with the soils and geotechnical report. This public meeting creates an opportunity for the City’s staff and consultants to share the project’s design and development while interacting with the public to answer any questions and receive comments. After review of the public comment received at the hearing, the City of Charlottesville will make a recommendation to the City Council for final design approval. The project will then proceed into final design and the right of way acquisition stage will begin. More detail is provided under the Project News tab.
Both the City and County are committed to working with the community to advance this project while providing accommodations to the local residents, commuters and businesses involved. We look forward to the public’s continued participation through input and suggestions which will help us make positive decisions throughout the design process.
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