Contract awarded for project to make pedestrian improvements on Old Lynchburg Road

As Albemarle continues to grow, the county continues to move forward with several smaller-scale infrastructure projects In October, the county asked firms to bid on work to make it safer for pedestrians in a section of the county’s southern urban area.

“The project is generally described as a new sidewalk and crosswalks along the West side of Old Lynchburg Road from the end of an existing sidewalk to the Rivanna Trail,” reads a section of the scope of work.

A quarterly report from the county’s Facilities and Environmental Services notes that the lowest bidder was within budget. The county’s procurement site lists the contract has been awarded to Concrete Foundations Inc. of Gretna, Virginia.

“The pathway begins near the Timberland Apartments, routes under the Interstate I-64 overpass, and terminates near the City/County boundary line,” reads page 17 of the report. “Upon completion of the work, the project will provide approximately 650 linear feet of sidewalk and connect with a segment of the Rivanna Trails system.”

This phase of the project will not extend to Azalea Park in the City of Charlottesville. Construction is expected to begin in February.

Bids have been received for a project to build sidewalks on portions of Commonwealth and Dominion Drive but no bid has been awarded yet. That project has a budget of just under $4 million with some of the funding coming from the Virginia Department of Transportation’s revenue-sharing program.

The scope is to construct 900 feet of sidewalk on Commonwealth Drive and 1,000 feet on Dominion Drive. There would be three pads for bus stops on Commonwealth Drive which is served by Charlottesville Area Transit Route 7.

A solicitation for firms to construct an extension of Library Avenue in Crozet are due on January 8, 2026. That project has an $8 million budget. The plan is to have both of those projects under construction by February.

• The historic Albemarle County Courthouse is now under renovation as phase 2 of a project to modernize court facilities and build capacity. This involves selective demolition of the 1938 section of the building. Substantial completion is expected in January 2027 at which time court personnel will return to the building.
• Albemarle and Charlottesville are partnering on a joint litter and plastic reduction campaign that will see the creation of a new outreach campaign. (learn more)
• Albemarle County staff continue to work on preparations for a $42 million extension of Boulders Road as part of the Rivanna Futures economic development initiative. The Commonwealth Transportation Board was briefed earlier this month on Albemarle’s request for $20 million from a fund controlled by the Governor’s office. They’ll take up the request on January 6, 2026.
• Albemarle has been awarded grant funding for two projects from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Dam Safety, Flood Prevention, and Protection Assistance Fund. One is for $44,060 that will support half of the design costs to repair the Greens Dam at Rivanna Station. The second is for $500,000 for construction of improvements at the Middle Dam at Mint Springs.
• A project to complete Eastern Avenue in Crozet is listed in the report as on hold. Staff had attempted to procure the project using a public-private partnership but the report notes that no financial proposals were received. The project will be re-evaluated as a design-build project.
• A member of the FES staff has been assigned to work with the Friends of Esmont on grant-funded work to demolish the Purvis Store to prepare the site for something in the future. The Department of Community Development approved a demolition permit on October 21 and work got underway on November 17.

For more details on many more projects, take a look at the FES report.

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