VDOT conducting safety study on U.S. 29

In any given year, there are only so many transportation projects working their way toward construction.

At any given point, there are also efforts underway to begin planning for the next generation of projects. That often takes the form of public input and this week the Virginia Department of Transportation has announced a new STARS study of the main commercial thoroughfare in Albemarle County. (take the study)

STARS stands for Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions and an information release sent out on May 9 describes the geographic boundaries.

“The Virginia Department of Transportation is seeking feedback on a transportation study assessing potential safety, multimodal, public transit, and operational issues along U.S. 29 Business (Emmet Street) and U.S. 29 (Seminole Trail) in the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County between Route 654 (Barracks Road) and Woodbrook Drive,” the release reads. “The study also targets the interchange of U.S. 29 Business and the U.S. 29/U.S. 250 Bypass.”

Due to a series of previous decisions, U.S. 29 has been built as an eight-lane highway for much of that stretch. For many years there were plans to build a 6.2 mile western bypass and the project lurched ahead suddenly in June 2011 in the administration of Governor Bob McDonnell.

That effort fizzled out after the gravesite of a former enslaved person named Jesse Sammon that would have meant moving the project. The project lost local support after the 2013 election and over $230 million in funding was transferred to other initiatives such as the grade-separated intersection of Rio Road and U.S. 29, the extension of Berkmar Drive Extended, and widening of U.S. 29 to six lanes between Polo Grounds Road and Hollymead Town Center.

Many of these ideas had been called for in the Places29 Master Plan adopted in February 2011 and last amended in June 2015.

“U.S. 29 is designated as a Corridor of Statewide Significance, serving as the primary north-south route for the region,” the information release continues. “Within the study area, U.S. 29 connects regional traffic to Interstate 64 and U.S. 250 to the south and U.S. 17 and Interstate 66 to the north.”

This STARS study is expected to be completed by spring 2026 according to the project page.

STARS studies are often a precursor to new projects and a full list of previous studies is available here. The most recent in this area is one conducted in 2018 for the U.S. 250 / Ivy Road Corridor. (project website)

As for those active projects, here’s a set of links to various VDOT webpages.

• 5th Street Station trail and hub, Albemarle County and city of Charlottesville
• U.S. 29 shared-use path, Albemarle County
• Intersection Design-Build Bundle 2, Albemarle County
• Interstate 64 at Exit 107 Park and Ride lot, Albemarle County
• Avon St. Multimodal Improvements, City of Charlottesville
• Route 743 (Hydraulic Road) and District Avenue/Cedar Hill Road roundabout
• Route 20 at U.S. 250 intersection and corridor improvements, Albemarle County
• Fontaine and Hydraulic design-build bundle (Design Public Hearing on May 22, 2025!)
• Berkmar Drive Extended to Airport Road connector

Before you go: This story originally appeared in the May 13, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. If you’d like to help ensure stories like this continue to exist, take a look at the top of this website for the guide of how you can support the work.