Rural Transportation Planning

The Rural Transportation Planning Program functions as a cooperative forum for transportation planning among the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT), transportation service providers, and the counties of Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Nelson and Albemarle. While the Metropolitan Planning Organization has authority over the urbanized areas of Albemarle and the City of Charlottesville, the Rural Transportation Planning Program focuses on the region’s rural areas. The TJPDC serves as the Policy Board for this program, with the Rural Technical Committee serving as the advisory body.

Public Meeting for Route 151 Corridor Study Well Attended

On March 14, VDOT held a public information meeting at the Rockfish Valley Community Center, to gather public input on an update of the Route 151 Corridor Study.  VDOT provided data and maps of the 14-mile corridor, including the 13 intersections that are covered in this study.  There were approximately 50 attendees who were present at the meeting.  VDOT collected valuable input on public concerns and possible solutions.

Following this meeting, VDOT and their consultant, HNTB, will use these comments to develop recommendations that will address those concerns.  There will be a second public meeting in mid-April (TBA) that will allow the public to provide additional feedback on those draft recommendations.  VDOT and the project team are committed to gathering public input and ensuring that this input guides the final recommendations and report.

The VDOT Lynchburg office successfully secured funding to update this study, which was last completed in 2001.  The Route 151 Corridor Study will evaluate the operations and safety of the corridor, beginning at the intersection of Route 151/Route 664 (Beech Grove Road) in the South and ending with the Route 151/U.S. Route 250 intersection in Albemarle County.  HNTB Corporation is VDOT’s on-call consultant and will perform the majority of the work.  This study is included in the TJPDC’s Rural Transportation Program and the PDC serves on the project team.

For more information on this study, contact Will Cockrell at wcockrell@tjpdc.org, or the VDOT project manager, Rick Youngblood at Rick.Youngblood@VDOT.Virginia.gov.  If you would like to submit written comments on the Route 151 Corridor Study, please contact Rick Youngblood by email or regular mail, at 4219 Campbell Avenue, Lynchburg, Va. 24501.  Please reference “Route 151 Corridor Study” in the subject line.

Successful Roundtable Event on Rural Special Events

Large organized events are increasingly common in our region, particularly as wineries and brewers become more popular and common. These gatherings include festivals, weddings, concerts and other public assemblies. While these events bring benefits, such as increased tourism, economic development, community pride and recreation, they also create challenges. Most notably, those issues revolve around noise and traffic. Localities attempt to balance the benefits of these events with the needs for peace and safety in the surrounding areas. It is a challenge to find that balance in local regulations, but the TJPDC held a roundtable discussion intended to provide guidance to these issues.

On February 19, the TJPDC's Rural Technical Committee held the roundtable event on this topic. There were several guest speakers, providing various unique perspectives. From Albemarle County's zoning department, staff discussed local permitting and laws that are associated with large special events. A VDOT representative presented on the State's standards, related to required forms and notifications. There were also speakers from the City of Charlottesville's policy and zoning inspections offices, who discussed the challenges and logistics of managing noise at these events.

This was a successful discussion, with good attendance from our member governments. Those local planners heard various perspectives on how to regulate and enforce regulations associated with large events. These discussions are intended to help those professionals take knowledge back to their communities, to better serve their citizens.

FY13 Rural Transportation Planning Scope of Work

The fiscal year 2013 work program runs from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. The adopted work program and subsequent updates are listed below:

• Fiscal Year Scope of Work
• April 2013 Update
• February 2013 Update
• December 2012 Update
• October 2012 Update
• August 2012 Update

Rural Technical Committee

	Meeting Schedule

	Agendas and Minutes

	Committee Members

	By-Laws

	Virginia Statewide Rail Plan