Public input sought for future of five-way intersection in Charlottesville

This time a decade ago, the City of Charlottesville was heavily involved in a streetscape project to reimagine what West Main Street might look like with upgraded sidewalks and new street trees.

The West Main Streetscape project began in October 2013 when the firm Rhodeside & Harwell was hired to conduct a study that would include funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation. Council approved a concept plan in March 2016 and millions of dollars were set aside in the capital improvement plan (CIP) to help pay for the cost of a project with a price tag approaching $50 million.

However, a later City Council canceled the plan in part because they wanted to redirect the CIP funding to the renovation and expansion of Buford Middle School. After spending at least $3 million on consultant fees, nothing happened. The West Main Streetscape became another forgotten plan, except on cvillepedia.

The City of Charlottesville is continuing to recover from an era when staff accepted more funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation than it could process. The city received three Smart Scale awards from VDOT in 2016 and has yet to proceed to construction on any of them. Last year the Commonwealth Transportation Board accepted a voluntary cancellation of two projects on Ridge Street. (read the story)

Flash forward to now. The city and VDOT are beginning the process of planning the future of the eastern end of the West Main Streetscape with a Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions (STARS) study. The scope includes the intersection of West Main, Ridge Street, West Water Street, and McIntire Road. (view the project website) (take the survey)

“The intersection is pivotal for accessing the Downtown Mall, a central commercial area for the City of Charlottesville,” reads a website seeking public input for the study.

The next line perhaps editorializes slightly.

“The intersection is also known for its confusing layout, making it challenging for users of all modes to navigate,” the website continues.

The website also notes that there are no anticipated construction timelines and the study is intended to just inform future projects.

“The purpose of this study is to develop proposed improvements that localities can pursue for funding and consider including in their comprehensive plans,” the website continues.

The survey is open through April 7, 2025.

Before you go: The process to transfer a story from the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter to this website is a manual one. In the future it might make sense to automate such things, but the present is a jumbled mess of different tasks and assignments. This story was originally in the March 26, 2025 edition of the Substack newsletter but posted here on the first day of the new month.