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Road projects advance

Spotsylvania supervisors approve contract for planning of nine transportation improvement projects throughout the county.

Date published: 9/16/2006

By EDIE GROSS

A unique partnership between Spotsylvania County and a team of construction firms is expected to put plans for nine county road projects on the fast track.

Supervisors on Tuesday night approved a $2.6 million contract with Spotsylvania County Infrastructure LLC, a firm led by Shirley Contracting Co. and English Construction.

By May 2007, SCI will furnish preliminary engineering plans for eight secondary roads and a final design for one more.

Improvements for all the roads were included in the November 2005 bond referendum, which covered $144 million in projects.

SCI is expected to present several alternatives for each road, said Deputy County Administrator Doug Barnes.

"They're looking at alternatives that would reduce the amount of money we'd have to spend and still improve the traffic flow," he said.

If the board decides to move forward with any of the projects, SCI must provide a "firm, fixed price on construction," Barnes said.

The county could hire SCI to oversee that construction for the guaranteed price. Or, it could keep SCI's designs and hire another firm.

The benefit to the county is it will have real numbers, not estimates, for the projects. And lumping nine projects into one contract should speed the process along as well.

The roads SCI will address include Gordon Road, Hood Drive, Leavells Road, Massaponax Church Road, Mine Road, Smith Station Road, Jones Powell Road and two parts of Harrison Road.

The western piece of Harrison will tie into a four-lane connector road that will run north to Spotsylvania Towne Centre. The mall's developer, Ohio-based Cafaro Co., is paying for that road, which is in the engineering phase, said executive vice president J.J. Cafaro.

Garry Palleschi, project manager for SCI, said more local governments are opting for public-private partnerships like the one in Spotsylvania to move road projects along faster.

"I think that's just a sign of the times," he said. "All it's going to take is to get one or two of these projects built, and the citizens will recognize this is a great way to get things done."

Also on Tuesday, supervisors approved an agreement with the Virginia Department of Transportation that allows the county to manage projects along secondary roads that are paid for with the bond funds.

The roads must meet VDOT standards, but the county is essentially in charge of the schedule.

In June, the county sold its first $15 million in bonds. Supervisors set aside $2 million to pave dirt roads, and another $2.6 million will be used for the contract with SCI.

To reach EDIE GROSS:540/374-5428
Email: egross@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 9/16/2006