Over seven years have passed since Hillsdale Drive was extended from Greenbrier Drive to Hydraulic Road in Albemarle County. The project was planned and implemented in order to provide motorists with a second way of traveling north-south in Albemarle’s urban ring.
Before the project went to construction, many expressed concern the plans did not include a traffic signal at the intersection of Hillsdale Drive and Greenbrier Drive. Albemarle County Police wanted there to be one, but engineers with the Virginia Department of Transportation explained the roadway would not meet requirements for one. The road opened in late 2017 with stop signs controlling access from Greenbrier onto Hillsdale.
On February 5, 2025, Supervisor Ned Gallaway of the Rio District announced that VDOT will install a “modular” roundabout using funding from their safety improvement budget.
“That is moving forward,” Gallaway said. “It’s past the design stage and they’re reviewing the designs and it’s likely not going to happen before the end of this fiscal year based on the way that they are funding it.”
Gallaway said this will be a new type of roundabout that is modular in nature.
“The way they put these in is a lot more cost-effective than building full-on roundabouts but it will help with both the speed and issues at that intersection,” Gallaway said.
A request for comment from the Virginia Department of Transportation has not been returned at publication. However, there are several examples of these being installed across the Commonwealth.
In June 2018, VDOT installed a temporary modular roundabout at the intersection of Ravensworth Road and Jayhawk Street in Fairfax County. This was a pilot project. (learn more)
VDOT began construction last summer on a modular roundabout at the intersection of Banks Ford Parkway and Celebrate Virginia Parkway in Stafford County.
“The modular roundabout pieces at Banks Ford Parkway and Celebrate Virginia Parkway were made using 136,090 pounds of recycled plastic, which is the equivalent of just over 1 million plastic gallon-size milk jugs,” reads the VDOT website on that project.
More to come on this project into the future.
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Before you go: This article was originally sent out as part of the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter in the February 6, 2025 edition. Both are functions of Town Crier Productions. You can support the work by purchasing a paid subscription or contributing monthly through Patreon. You can also send in a check or send an email, but drop me a line first!
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