On January 17th of this year, the list of draft Smart Scale project funding recommendations across Virginia was released, following approval by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB); a number of those projects in the West Piedmont Planning District were recommended for funding. Smart Scale is a relatively new transportation project funding program for Virginia, through which localities, regional entities, and transit agencies apply for project funding. The Smart Scale process will be discussed later in this article.
In the West Piedmont Planning District, which comprises Franklin, Henry, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties; the Cities of Danville and Martinsville; and the Town of Rocky Mount, many Smart Scale applications were submitted by various entities, including the West Piedmont Planning District Commission (WPPDC)/Danville Metropolitan Planning Organization (Danville MPO). Following the CTB’s approval, a list of transportation projects was preliminarily approved and released by the State of Virginia for review and comment by citizens, localities, regional organizations, and other entities. Comments can be provided directly to the Commonwealth Transportation Board via email, and/or articulated at the upcoming spring CTB public hearings, which will take place in April and May of this year. The CTB hearings that are relevant to our region include the following:
- VDOT Salem District hearing: Tuesday, May 16th @ 4 p.m., at the Salem Civic Center Community Room, 1001 Roanoke Boulevard, Salem, Virginia 24153. The Salem District represents Franklin, Henry, and Patrick Counties, the City of Martinsville, and the Town of Rocky Mount in the West Piedmont Planning District.
- VDOT Lynchburg District hearing: Wednesday, May 17th @ 4 p.m., at the Lynchburg Grand Hotel, 601 Main Street, Lynchburg, Virginia 24504. The Lynchburg District represents the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County in the West Piedmont Planning District.
Following presentation at the CTB hearings, any changes to the draft project recommendations will be finalized following input received. The approved projects will subsequently be included in the State’s Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP), which is an official State publication that comprises funded transportation projects within Virginia, their funding sources, and implementation schedules over a six-year period.
Smart Scale is a funding process that was implemented by the State of Virginia – initially as House Bill 2 in 2014 – the current name being adopted in 2016.[1] Unlike the former project selection process which was more arbitrary and relied heavily on the judgment of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the Smart Scale process is data-driven. Smart Scale essentially “scores” submitted project applications by evaluating how projects would likely impact each of six factors that form the basis of the program. In addition, each factor is assigned a specific “weight” based on its region within Virginia. For example, in urbanized areas including Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads (classified as Category A), the Congestion Mitigation factor is ranked very high, while in our region (classified as Category D), it is ranked comparatively low. The six factors and their accompanying weights for the West Piedmont Planning District are summarized as such:
- Economic Development – 30%
- Safety – 30%
- Accessibility – 10%
- Environmental Quality – 10%
- Congestion Mitigation – 10%
- Land Use – 10%
What follows is a summary of the Smart Scale project applications that were recommended for approval within the West Piedmont Planning District, via this draft funding scenario. A total of seven projects have been recommended, with six of those in VDOT’s Lynchburg District (City of Danville and Pittsylvania County) and one in VDOT’s Salem District (City of Martinsville); two Riverside Drive projects were combined for the purposes of this article. These projects represent a combined funding amount of more than $91 million.
- Piedmont Drive Pedestrian Accommodations, City of Danville. Requested Smart Scale funding is $6,674,850.
This project was submitted by the Danville Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which is staffed by the West Piedmont Planning District Commission (WPPDC), and would fund construction of sidewalks and an accompanying series of signalized and unsignalized crosswalks along and in the vicinity of the Piedmont Drive commercial corridor near the Danville Mall. As the accompanying figure shows, sidewalks and crosswalks are planned for portions of Piedmont Drive, Mount Cross Road, Enterprise Drive, Old Mount Cross Road, Collins Drive, and Lowes Drive. One sidewalk segment along Mount Cross Road would link to an existing multi-use path near Walmart, creating a seamless pedestrian link from the Piedmont Drive corridor to Averett University’s North Campus.
This commercial area of Danville is currently not served by sidewalks or crosswalks, though it experiences a significant amount of pedestrian activity, much of which consists of employees walking to work at many of the local restaurants, retail, and service establishments from their homes or from one of the nearby bus stops. Sidewalks would not only make these pedestrians’ walks safer and more comfortable, but would enable and encourage consumers to walk to these establishments as well, improving health and reducing reliance on the automobile.
Riverside Drive (US Route 58 Business) Improvements, City of Danville. Requested Smart Scale funding (for both projects, combined) is $50,912,091.
This project consists of two separate applications, for two adjacent segments of Riverside Drive in the City of Danville that were recommended for funding. Since both segments are adjacent to one-another and the proposed improvements are similar for both, this summary provides a singular overivew. The two project areas of Riverside Drive for which improvements are planned include an approximately 0.3-mile segment from Audubon Drive to Arnett Boulevard, and the approximately 0.8-mile adjoining segment extending from Arnett Boulevard east to Main Street; the total project area is approximately 1.1 mile in length.
Planned multimodal improvements include installation of sidewalks along both sides of the corridor, signalized pedestrian crosswalks, two connections to the Danville Riverwalk Trail, and the installation of a bus bay and shelter near the Biscuitville dining establishment. Planned improvements to enhance vehicular safety and functionality include the closure of three median openings and replacement with one Restricted Crossing U-Turn (R-CUT), which is an innovative intersection design; the construction of a right-turn lane on Riverside Drive West at Audubon Drive and the installation of a left-turn lane on Riverside Drive East at Keen Street; the installation of a median barrier at Highland Court; and access management, which refers to the strategic placement of vehicular entry and exit points to improve roadway safety and the overall function of the corridor. The accompanying image shows improvements planned along the segment of Riverside Drive between Audubon Drive and Arnett Boulevard.
- Piney Forest Road Improvements, City of Danville. Requested Smart Scale funding is $22,115,494.
This project involves improvements to an approximately 0.9-mile segment of Piney Forest Road (US Route 29 Business) from Beavers Mill Road north to Nor-Dan Drive. Major improvements along this segment will include the conversion of a center turn lane to a 14-foot wide landscaped median; the installation of intersection turn lanes and four loons, which are widened areas of the roadway to enable larger vehicles, such as trucks, to safely make U-turns; the addition of a traffic signal at Arnett Boulevard to control traffic at an existing shopping center; and upgrades to pedestrian signals and crosswalks. The following image shows planned improvements at and in the vicinity of Piney Forest Road and Nor-Dan Drive/Nelson Avenue.
- Fayette Street from Ailcie Street to Pine Hall Road Improvements, City of Martinsville. Requested Smart Scale funding is $6,506,762.
This project involves improvements to the approximately 0.3-mile segment of Fayette Street between Ailcie Street and Pine Hall Road in the City of Martinsville. Improvements would include a combination of left-turn lanes and two-way left-turn lanes, installation of 1,420 feet of sidewalk, and crosswalks with pedestrian refuges along the corridor at both Beaver Street and 3rd Street. This project will be part of an overall redevelopment strategy for Martinsville’s Fayette Street corridor. The following image illustrates the location of the improvements along the Fayette Street corridor.
- S. Route 58 at Route 622 ICWS (Intelligent Conflict Warning System), Pittsylvania County. Requested Smart Scale funding is $1,011,773.
This project would involve the installation of an Intelligent Conflict Warning System (ICWS) along U.S. Route 58, in advance of Route 622 (Cascade Road/West Fork Road) in Pittsylvania County, to the west of Danville. The warning system will improve safety at the intersection by warning vehicles approaching the intersection from U.S. Route 58 of potential traffic conflicts due to vehicles approaching or entering the intersection.
- S. Route 29 at Spring Garden Road Turn Lane Improvements, Pittsylvania County. Requested Smart Scale funding is $3,902,150.
This project would improve the functionality and safety of the intersection of U.S. Route 29 and Spring Garden Road (Route 640) north of Danville by implementing turn lane improvements, which would result in the extension of an existing northbound right-turn lane, the extension of an existing southbound left-turn lane, and the installation of a new northbound left-turn lane.
[1] Commonwealth Transportation Board. Smart Scale Technical Guide. Rev. May 2022. Page 1. https://www.smartscale.org/documents/2022/Round-5-SMART-SCALE-Technical-Guide.pdf.