The appointed body that has the final say on funding of transportation projects in Virginia has taken the first step in canceling two more projects that had been awarded to the City of Charlottesville.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board had a briefing on the topic just two days after the City formally voted to cancel two projects that had gone through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart Scale process.
“The question today is the 5th Street Southwest and Ridge Street project in the City of Charlottesville,” said Kimberly Pryor of VDOT’s infrastructure investment division. “These were actually two separate projects submitted in rounds three and four.”
The two projects had a combined cost of $14.8 million. The scope would have safety, congestion, and accessibility improvements along Ridge Street, Cherry Avenue, and Elliott Avenue with multimodal improvements on Ridge Street between West Main Street and Cherry Avenue.
“To date, the project hasn’t started and we’ve incurred no expenditures,” Pryor said. “Current estimate is severely underfunded due to inflation. Unit costs higher than anticipated, right of way costs.”
Council has previously agreed to cancel three other Smart Scale projects including a second phase of a project on Emmet Street that the CTB formally canceled on Wednesday. They will formally take up a vote to cancel the Ridge/Cherry projects at their next meeting in January.
The others are the West Main Streetscape and a project at Preston Avenue, Grady Avenue, and 10th Street.
Charlottesville officials have decided to cancel projects to clear up a backlog after VDOT found the city to be deficient. The cancellation is a corrective action.
“I want to note staff has been working very, very closely with our local VDOT district office to arrive at this recommendation,” said Deputy City Manager James Freas at Council’s meeting on December 2.
In May, Council agreed to a memorandum with VDOT that laid out how the city could get back in the agency’s favor. That includes the transfer of authority to VDOT to manage the Fontaine Avenue Streetscape.
For some details, go back and read these stories:
- Charlottesville transportation planners seeking to rebuild public trust, May 16, 2024
- Transportation planning manager updates Charlottesville City Council on existing projects, May 17, 2024
- Charlottesville continues to move forward with several long-delayed transportation projects, November 16, 2024
City Manager Sam Sanders said he did not want to place blame on whoever was running transportation in the city before he arrived, but told Council he was summoned to VDOT’s offices soon after he began work for the city in the summer of 2021.
“I was told that the city of Charlottesville was not performing as it related to the management of our locally administered program,” Sanders said. “And that started what has been a three year saga.”
Sanders said the portfolio was too large for the city to manage and cancellation is not taken lightly. He said he understands the disappointment some have expressed, but the city has needed a structure to proceed.
“I think the team has really embraced the notion that it’s no one’s fault,” Sanders said. “It is where we are and we need to move forward. And the best way to do that is to right size this portfolio for our ability to deliver it.”
During the December 4 CTB discussion, Pryor noted that Charlottesville did not apply for a project in the current cycle, nor did the city do so in Round 5.
One member of the CTB asked a relevant question.
“It seems like we’re dropping a lot of projects in Charlottesville,” said Thomas Lawson, a rural at-large member. “As you said, they’re right-sizing. How many are still outstanding, what’s left?”
VDOT’s Commissioner responded.
“Mr. Lawson, to answer your question directly, that this is the last one that they have to cancel,,” said Stephen Brich. “Everything else is moving forward at this point in time. So this is right-sizing their program. The board took a final act. Their board of Supervisors or City council took an action Monday.”
Virginia Transportation Secretary Shep Miller said that Charlottesville has been challenged to deliver road projects over the years.
“We have dug into those kinds of situations and pushed and brought us in to help them get their situation over the projects that they have and do it in cooperation in concert with our help,” Miller said. “And so I think they’re making great progress there and we’re glad to see that.”
The final vote on the cancellation of the Ridge and Cherry Avenue projects will be taken in January. The CTB officially voted to end the second phase of Emmet Street at their action meeting Wednesday.
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