RICHMOND, Va. – At its monthly meeting today, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) awarded five contracts worth nearly $240 million for major road improvements.
The projects will improve mobility, enhance safety and extend the life of the state’s transportation network .
The contracts are for projects that will:
- Improve traffic flow along the U.S. 29 corridor in Albemarle County
The CTB awarded a design-build contract worth approximately $116.7 million to Lane/Corman Joint Venture of Chantilly, Va., to design and build projects that will improve safety and increase capacity on and near U.S. 29 in Albemarle County north of Charlottesville.
The projects, scheduled for completion in October 2017, will:
- Build a grade-separated intersection at U.S. 29 and Rio Road,
- Widen U.S. 29 between Polo Grounds Road and Towncenter Drive, and
- Extend Berkmar Drive from Hilton Heights Road to Towncenter Drive.
The design-build team includes Lane Construction Corp. of Chantilly, Corman Construction Inc. of Chesterfield and the engineering firm RK&K of Richmond. More information is at http://www.route29solutions.org/
- Widen Interstate 64 in Newport News
The CTB awarded a design-build contract for approximately $84.8 million to Shirley Contracting Co. LLC of Lorton, Va., to widen 5.6 miles of Interstate 64 in Newport News, from about a half mile east of Route 238 (Yorktown Road) to about 1.5 miles west of Route 143 (Jefferson Avenue).
This project will add a lane in each direction, widening the interstate from four to six lanes. The expansion will occur in the roadway’s median and will add a 12-foot-wide travel lane and a 12-foot-wide shoulder on the inside median lane in each direction. Bridges in the corridor will be widened to the inside to accommodate the new travel lanes and shoulders.
The project, scheduled for completion in December 2017, also includes rehabilitating the existing pavement, applying a new driving surface (pavement overlay) and extending the lanes for the entrance and exit ramps at Fort Eustis Boulevard. More information is at http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/hamptonroads/i-64_widening_project.asp.
- Improve the exit 310 interchange on Interstate 81 in Frederick
The CTB awarded a contract valued at nearly $25 million to General Excavation Inc. of Warrenton, Va., for a project to improve traffic flow throughout the interchange at exit 310 on Interstate 81. The project area, located at the south end of Route 37 in Frederick County, extends about a half mile north of the existing interchange to about a half mile south of exit 310.
The revamped interchange will feature a “spread diamond” design, which will widen and spread out the ramps from their current intersections with Route 37. The project will extend existing turn lanes and add dual right- and left-turn lanes to improve traffic flow on the ramps and on Route 37 and U.S. 11.
To the east, the expanded configuration will require relocating routes 642 and 847 and creating new access to an extended Route 37. To the west, the project will modify the ramps at the Route 37 interchange with U.S. 11.
This new design will accommodate future growth and related changes in traffic patterns and volumes. The final buildout will be done in several phases, depending on traffic demand and available funding. In the first phase of the project, which the CTB awarded today, VDOT will obtain the ultimate rights of way needed for any future phase.
The project is scheduled to be completed in May 2018, with an incentive, or bonus, clause to encourage completion as early as November 2017. More information is at http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/staunton/i-81_exit_310.asp.
- Provide funding to pave interstates in VDOT’s Salem and Northern Virginia districts
The CTB also approved the following two contracts for:
- Approximately $5.4 million to Adams Construction Company of Roanoke, Va., for interstate paving in Carroll, Pulaski and Roanoke counties (Salem District), and
- Approximately $7.5 million to Virginia Paving Co., a division of Lane Construction Corp. of Cheshire, Conn., for interstate paving in Prince William County (Northern Virginia District).
The chart below tracks the dollar amount of the major contracts the CTB has awarded in calendar year 2015:
In advance of each CTB meeting, VDOT Commissioner Charlie Kilpatrick also approves contracts up to $5 million in value. From the Jan. 21 and Jan. 28, 2015, bid lettings, the commissioner approved 71 contracts worth an approximate total of $106.8 million for construction and maintenance projects on Virginia’s interstates and primary and secondary roads.
Appointed by the governor, the 17-member CTB establishes the administrative policies for Virginia's transportation system. The CTB allocates highway funding to specific projects, locates routes and provides funding for airports, seaports and public transportation. The board normally meets on the third Wednesday of most months.
For more information:
- Final bid results and projects:
- CTB meeting, times and locations:
