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Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine talks with Jay Stroman, Spotsylvania County's attorney, after the groundbreaking ceremony for the widening of State Route 3 yesterday. The expansion is being funded by federal stimulus money. |
By KELLY HANNON
Gov. Tim Kaine was pleased to attend yesterday's groundbreaking in Spotsylvania County for the expansion State Route 3 near Gordon Road.
He just wishes it were under different circumstances.
"I thought I'd be doing it because the state had decided to pony up and pay for transportation. That was not to be," Kaine said.
Instead, the federal government--compliments of taxpayers nationwide--are paying to widen Route 3 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the federal stimulus package, passed in February.
The widening from Rutherford Drive to Gordon Road was supposed to be paid using state transportation money.
But the Commonwealth Transportation Board had to cut the project last winter, along with 800 other road projects statewide. Transportation revenues were expected to fall by $4 billion in coming years, since fewer people were buying vehicles and gas during a recession.
Then, just as suddenly as it was cut, the work was revitalized two months later.
The same transportation board devoted $25.2 million of Virginia's share of the federal stimulus money to the Route 3 widening.
Spotsylvania County is managing the project, and the Board of Supervisors recently hired a project contractor, Henderson Construction Co.
To celebrate, Kaine and local officials turned dirt outside a 7-Eleven at Gordon Road yesterday, under a sign announcing the project was "Putting America to Work."
One lane of Route 3 east was closed for the ceremony, as was a section of northbound Gordon Road.
Kaine estimated 700 jobs will be affected directly or indirectly by the widening, where work will be visible to drivers next spring and will finish by summer 2012.
"Even though we're inconveniencing a few of these folks today by closing off the lane, they're very happy we're doing this today," Kaine said. "By 2012, the road's going to look an awful lot better."
Today Route 3 narrows from six to four lanes between Chewning Lane, Rutherford Drive and Gordon Road, only to expand to six lanes farther west just before the Harrison Crossing shopping center.
The lane pattern causes merging and weaving as drivers must realize the lane they are traveling in ends.
Route 3 was able to be widened to six lanes beyond Gordon Road because the shopping-center developer, The Silver Cos., funded the road improvements.
When this project is done, Route 3 will have six lanes stretching from Interstate 95 almost as far west as Riverbend High School and Spotswood Furnace Road.
The segment from Rutherford to Gordon will have sidewalks lining both sides of the road, plus auxiliary lanes for turning in and out of businesses.
Several median crossover points on Route 3 will be closed and replaced with raised medians.
Instead of turning at the old crossover points, drivers will be able to make turns onto and off of Route 3 at four improved intersections with traffic signals: Chewning Lane/Rutherford Drive; Chancellor's Village Lane/Single Oak Drive; Cherry Road/Five Mile Road Extended; and Gordon Road.
The project includes construction of a new four-lane road between Kilarney Drive and Chancellor Village Lane, since the median crossover at Kilarney will be closed.
Around 42,000 vehicles a day currently use Route 3 within the project's footprint.
By 2012, the number of vehicles will increase to 45,500 a day, and by 2032, 64,000 vehicles a day.
"When this stimulus project is completed, it will improve traffic congestion through the corridor to create a safe transportation system and attract new businesses and will create new jobs and enhance the economic growth of this area," said Quintin Elliott, Virginia Department of Transportation Fredericksburg District Administrator.
Hap Connors, chairman of the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors, reminded Kaine and the audience that more county road projects remain, just in case there's any stimulus money leftover from low construction bids.
The second phase of the Spotsylvania Courthouse Bypass is shovel-ready, Connors pointed out.
"Don't forget that project," he said.
Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com
Politics slip into project gathering Part of the groundbreaking took on a political tone. Sen. Edd Houck, D--Spotsylvania, lamented that the state could not pay for the widening, and he criticized some members of the Virginia General Assembly for not supporting Kaine's efforts to improve the state's transpor-tation network. "If you had had just a little bit, just a little bit of help from our Republican members in the House of Delegates, we would have an ongoing, sustained transportation program funding right now in Virginia," Houck told the audience. Houck credited Kaine, the Democratic National Committee chairman and an early supporter of President Obama, for bringing stimulus dollars to Virginia. "At least we're blessed because Gov. Kaine working with a lot of people made sure Barack Obama was elected, and today we're going to see the results of that election," Houck said. Kaine also reminded the audience that not everyone supported the federal stimulus package. "Many in our state legislature stood on the floor of the legislature and railed against it, but because it passed we are doing transportation projects," Kaine said. --Kelly Hannon |
