Interchange faces funding gap

By Seth Rosen

Published: April 4, 2008

Though a committee of Charlottesville officials and residents has selected a design for the new interchange at McIntire Road and the U.S. 250 Bypass, another big hurdle looms: finding the money to pay for it.
The city has secured $29.6 million in state and federal funds for the new interchange, which would act as the southern terminus for the 2-mile Meadowcreek Parkway. But consultants are estimating that the interchange design chosen by the committee will cost $35 million.
With Charlottesville’s annual allocation from the Virginia Department of Transportation likely to be reduced in coming years, officials could be hard pressed to find the additional funding and might be forced to curtail the scope of the interchange.
“It is certainly a challenge,” Owen Peery, the lead outside consultant on the project, said of the effort to obtain more money.
The City Council is expected to vote later this month on the committee-backed design: a diamond-shaped interchange that would run the 30-foot-high bypass over an oval roundabout. If the council signs off, officials hope to start construction by the end of 2009.
Peery cautions that as engineers refine the interchange design, the price tag could drop. However, it is just as likely that the cost could rise, he acknowledges. And at this point it is not clear where the city would find the additional funding.
This year Charlottesville has received $1.5 million from the state for transportation projects, an amount that was supposed to hold steady over the next half-decade. The city can use that money on any projects it chooses, but there are several other roads that need funding in the coming years, including the extension of Hillsdale Drive.
Now it appears that Charlottesville will get less money from the state in the future. VDOT is slashing construction funding for localities by 44 percent, though it is not yet clear how the city’s allotment will be affected.
“If nothing changes, given the forecast reduction in revenue, it is very likely the city will see its payment reduced,” said Lou Hatter, a VDOT spokesman.
With little prospect of the state filling the interchange funding gap, city leaders are exploring ways to scale back the project.
“We need to be realistic about what we can build with the money we have budgeted,” said Angela Tucker, the project manager for Charlottesville.
One possibility is choosing a less expensive bridge over the roundabout. While officials would like a stone-cased bridge, they may be forced to go with a cheaper, and less visually appealing, bridge made of exposed steel.
The tight budget has already produced some changes. In the past, committee members discussed the possibility of having two pedestrian bridges linking residents to McIntire Park. But now they are looking to build just one.
Having an extensive network of pedestrian and bicycle trails into the park is a top priority for the committee and not an area that is likely to be affected, members said.
“The thing we are not going to allow to be skimped on is connectivity for bikes and pedestrians,” said Mike Farruggio, a Charlottesville planning commissioner who sits on the interchange committee.
Interchange opponents contend that the process is moving too quickly, especially in light of the likely budget gap. Peter Kleeman, who ran unsuccessfully for the council last year, said the interchange needs to be reconfigured in such a way that it has a minimal impact on surrounding sites, including several historic homes and the 19th-century Rock Hill estate.
“I think they are just ahead of themselves,” he said. “Let’s think some more about historic preservation.”
Officials counter that there is plenty of time to tweak the design to mitigate its effect on adjacent properties.
“We are trying to keep the noise down and the height down so it impacts those properties as little as possible,” Farruggio said.