Charlottesville’s City Council was nearly split down the middle Monday when considering approval for a temporary construction easement to build the Meadowcreek Parkway, the controversial 2-mile thoroughfare that has stagnated for nearly four decades.

A potential obstacle to the Meadowcreek Parkway was removed Thursday when the Charlottesville School Board voted 4-1 to donate approximately 8.5 acres at Charlottesville High School to the Virginia Department of Transportation for the long-planned project.

The long-planned and long-delayed Meadowcreek Parkway suffered another setback Monday when city councilors declined to endorse a design for a new interchange for its southern terminus.
Councilors were presented Monday with two options for a rebuilt interchange at McIntire Road and the U.S. 250 Bypass. A steering committee of city officials and residents had recommended councilors approve a diamond-shaped interchange that would run the 30-foot-high bypass over an oval roundabout, with the final design to be fleshed out later.

The Charlottesville School Board likely will approve a land deal to make way for the Meadowcreek Parkway, but will probably attach several conditions because of safety concerns, the board’s chairman said Friday.

After nearly an hour of discussion Thursday, the Charlottesville School Board pushed off to its May 1st meeting a decision on whether or not to donate around 8.5 acres at Charlottesville High School to the Virginia Department of Transportation for the Meadowcreek Parkway project.

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.