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By KELLY HANNON
Traffic was light on the Spotsylvania Courthouse Bypass yesterday morning, with ample room to drive along the four-lane highway that passes near a Civil War battlefield.
That will not always be the case.
The number of cars traveling between Fredericksburg, western Spotsylvania and Orange is growing, and the bypass was built to direct the traffic away from the "T" intersection near the county's courthouse and government buildings.
Today, the $13.5 million bypass carries about 20,000 cars a day. By 2029, it will be 48,000 a day.
After years of community debate about the bypass--that began perhaps as early as 1970--the road was dedicated in a small ceremony yesterday with county and Virginia Department of Transportation officials.
The project was finished on budget, four months ahead of the schedule.
The road is unique in its design, which is depressed into the rolling hills of the landscape, so it does not disturb the historic nature of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Three scenic areas with historic markers will eventually be part of the bypass. One area has already opened, at Heth's Salient Battle Site.
The Fredericksburg District's representative on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, former Spotsylvania Supervisor Mary Lee Carter, said the bypass and Spotsylvania Parkway have opened up the county, bringing tourists from Interstate 95 to the area.
"The exciting part is this is history enhancing history," Carter said.
Jerry Logan, chairman of the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors, said residents can be proud of the end result. "The taxpayer's money has been very well spent here," Logan said.
Now, attention turns to the project's to-be-constructed section.
Utilities have already been moved to construct the second phase, which will start where the first phase ends near Robert E. Lee Drive West. The next phase of the bypass will cost $21 million, since it requires building two bridges, and it will be five miles long. It will end near the Ta River beyond Post Oak, and reconnect with State Route 208. About 11,000 cars a day travel the area near the future bypass.
There was some funding for the project in the state's six-year transportation budget, but the project is currently before VDOT's central office in Richmond, awaiting authorization to advertise for construction, said David Ogle, VDOT's Fredericksburg District Administrator, who is retiring Oct. 1.
If the next section of the bypass is authorized for construction this month, it could be finished in 2011, Ogle said. Construction could begin early next year.
Yesterday's ceremony paused for a moment of silence to remember the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Greg Sutler, a VDOT assistant district maintenance engineer, sang the national anthem.
After listening to Sutler, who usually handles budget issues, "He proves that VDOT employees are multitalented," Ogle said.
Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com