Holy mother of Jesus. Could it be? We may be coming to the end of the Meadowcreek Parkway saga, a 50-year drama about a two-mile stretch of highway that would either bring more life into Downtown or pour a traffic column of poison into the city’s main artery, depending on your point of view. On August 18, City Council will hold the final public hearing on the city’s portion of the road. As the county has already approved its portion, if City Council votes to go ahead, the Meadowcreek Parkway will be just an interchange away from completion.
 One of those speaking against the Parkway on August 18 will be Peter Kleeman, who ran unsuccessfully for Council last year as an independent. “I still feel that it’s even more compelling that these projects be combined and not move forward independently.” |
| Previous C-VILLE coverage: Pick one: public gets a look at last two interchange designs A vocal opposition shows up at the MCP public hearing Council makes final step towards MCP Meadowcreek Parkway to-do list in city MCP may have future legal problems Parkway interchange design gets support State funding problems affect local roads County approves road priorities |
First, the confusing but necessary background: The thing we call the Meadowcreek Parkway is actually three different projects. One segment is in the county, and would run from Rio Road to Melbourne Road, carrying a $30 million price tag. The other two projects are in the city, and both will be before City Council on Monday, August 18. McIntire Extended is a $13.5 million road project that goes from Melbourne Road to within 775′ of the 250 Bypass, where a separate $27-30 million project takes over—the 250 interchange, where a bridge would be built to carry the bypass over McIntire Road.
The lesser of the two decisions facing Council is whether to pass a resolution about the preferred design of the 250 interchange. Council has already said at a work session that it liked a simple diamond intersection best. By approving the resolution, Council just lets the consultants get to work engineering more detailed plans. Assuming that happens, the project is likely to come back for a public hearing in spring 2009.
The most important decision for Council is whether to grant easements in McIntire Park to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). If Council votes to do so, then the project will be put to bid with a construction start time of October —a mere two months away. If you have anything at all to say about the road, you’d better be in the audience on August 18—once the roadway gets under construction, it’s hard to imagine the interchange not happening, since the Meadowcreek Parkway would otherwise dead end a few hundred feet from the 250 Bypass.
 With a combined price tag of more than $70 million, the Meadowcreek Parkway is technically three projects. |
So will the five-member Council give VDOT the easements and essentially approve the Meadowcreek Parkway? If some loophole allows Council to get out of making a decision, it might opt to slip through —it’s doubtful that these five elected officials particularly want to be forever known as “The Council That Finally Passed the Meadowcreek Parkway.” But, if they have to take a vote, it’s looking like VDOT will get its easements for McIntire Extended—it appears that there are three willing votes.
The Meadowcreek Parkway has been a City Council campaign issue in the past, but recently it has dropped down the list of election priorities. Satyendra Huja says he supports the Parkway, as does Julian Taliaferro, as long as VDOT accommodates the city’s demands. Dave Norris is the only councilor who has been outspoken in his criticism, but even if Holly Edwards joins him in opposition, then that leaves the choice in David Brown’s hands.
So will the chiropractor hit “yes” or “no”? Brown didn’t return calls for comment by press time, but he has seemed resigned to the Parkway in the past in his votes and statements.
Those in hell should start shopping for parkas.
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