City Council talks budget and everything road-related

At its penultimate meeting of 2024, Charlottesville City Council received its second budget briefing from City Manager Sam Sanders. In addition to the budget, the December 2 session focused on everything transportation—including the Virginia Department of Transportation portfolio, parking rules, and scooters. In his briefing, Sanders outlined and affirmed council’s housing and infrastructure priorities for […]

A brief history of the two-decade process to replace the Belmont Bridge

On a warm morning in late June, City Manager Sam Sanders presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Belmont Bridge, a $38 million project that for a time served as another chapter in Charlottesville’s resistance to infrastructure for motorized vehicles. “There are many who didn’t believe that this would actually happen,” Sanders said to […]

Updates on the construction and detours at Hydraulic Road and Route 29

As of July 8, through traffic on Hydraulic Road is closed while contractors work on the construction of a roundabout. If you’ve driven anywhere in Charlottesville recently, you’ve probably noticed the wealth of ongoing road work while sitting in heavier-than-usual traffic. Here are the latest updates on the construction status and detours for local motorists […]

Path for improvement

With the missing medians, peeled-up pavement, and barrage of cones, it’s hard to miss the construction on Hydraulic Road and U.S. 29. But Virginia Department of Transportation Project Manager Will Stowe says there’s a method to the madness. Construction along the busy corridor started earlier this year and has mostly consisted of right-of-way acquisitions up […]

Driving it home

Sure, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. But along with holiday festivities comes the traffic. Lots of traffic. And while roads will be bumper to bumper in the coming weeks, the Virginia Department of Transportation has a few tips for minimizing your travel stress. According to VDOT, the periods of heaviest traffic will […]

Deer crossing

There are more than 50,000 deer-vehicle collisions in Virginia each year. One local scientist has a low-cost solution.    May 3, 2013. It’s 7:50 in the morning. A 51-year-old man driving an SUV west on I-64 collides with a deer. The man is unhurt; police notify VDOT that they’ll need to remove the carcass. October […]