Today at Stevensburg: May 1, 2011
In Today's Culpeper Star Exponent
It is no surprise that VDOT has chosen to widen Route 3 along its existing path. This is the 'option' the agency has pushed from the beginning. The other option, known as Plan B, was in reality their initial intention in the 1990's, but were unable to execute that plan due to money allocations and the Federal Highway Transportation Act of 1966, which stipulates that "the Federal Highway Administration and other agencies cannot approve the use of land from publicly owned parks, recreational areas, wildlife areas or public and private historical sites unless there are no feasible and prudent alternatives to its use." In other words - Plan B was never a plan to begin with.
An alternative proposed by grass root Stevensburg residents, historical preservationists and other safety minded individuals was to leave the road two lanes through Stevensburg and the Hansbourgh Ridge area, and most importantly, reduce the speed limit -and enforce that speed. A similar option has been very successful on Route 50 in Middleburg.
The current two lane are not the cause of accidents along this stretch of Route 3; it is excessive speed, inattention and animal strikes. Adding two more lanes will not mitigate these problems.
Portions of the CSE article are below:
Route 3: VDOT recommends Plan A
By Nate Delesline
Citing a negative impact to historically sensitive areas that would be difficult to mitigate, the Virginia Department of Transportation last week recommended the Commonwealth Transportation Board approve a plan that would widen Route 3 along its existing track through Stevensburg.
An alternative, Plan B, would reroute the highway to the north of the village. The bypass option would cost an estimated $35 million; the first option would cost nearly $39 million.
Explanation and background
In a four-page memo, VDOT Culpeper District planning engineer Brent Sprinkel says because the project will utilize federal money, it is subject to the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The act includes a provision which stipulates that the Federal Highway Administration and other agencies cannot approve the use of land from publicly owned parks, recreational areas, wildlife areas or public and private historical sites unless there are no feasible and prudent alternatives to its use.
VDOT’s recommendation now heads to the CTB, which is set to meet May 18 in Richmond.
On the books since the early 1990s, the five-mile stretch of Route 3 between Stevensburg and Lignum is the only remaining two-lane section of highway between Culpeper and Fredericksburg.
Those in support of the bypass option say a new alignment for the highway makes the most sense. They also say it would allow Stevensburg to retain its rural character and pose less disruption to families, but at the expense of the integrity of historic areas.
Conversely, those opposed to widening the existing highway say doing so would ruin the character of the village and put a stream of steady, high-speed traffic right through their front yards. Some have also expressed concern about Plan A’s design saying that narrowed shoulders, shorter turn lanes and fewer crossovers would actually create a more hazardous situation.
Additionally, Plan A would displace three families while Plan B would displace two families. No businesses or non-profit organizations would be directly affected under either option.
Public favors bypass plan
VDOT’s recommendation contrasts the sentiment of public comments collected over several weeks following the presentation of both plans at a March 23 hearing.
Plan B got the most support with 38 people expressing support for that option. Eighteen people supported Plan A.
At the conclusion of the public comment period on April 14, VDOT had received 72 comment sheets, 27 emails, 13 letters and 53 form letters; 19 from previous respondents and 34 from new respondents. VDOT extended the comment period due to a printing error on some forms that omitted part of VDOT’s mailing address; the agency acknowledged the mistake and encouraged those affected to resubmit their comments.
In addition, 66 people signed in at the March 23 hearing and 19 oral comments were received.
Eleven people supported the highway project with modifications and 10 did not support the project at all while 41 people expressed support for the widening project.
Showing posts with label VDOT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VDOT. Show all posts
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Department of Historic Resources weighs in on Route 3
Today at Stevensburg: March 25, 2011
In today's Culpeper Star Exponent
DHR disputes VDOT's Route 3 findings
By Nate Delesline
Published: March 25, 2011
View the DHR's comments http://media.gatewayva.com/cse/PDFs/route3.pdf
On Thursday, another front emerged in the battle to widen Route 3 in the Stevensburg area, this time between the Department of Historic Resources and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The DHR formally rejected an earlier VDOT report that claimed an expansion of the highway would have no adverse effects on the Brandy Station Civil War battlefield, Hansbrough’s Ridge, a Stevensburg-area hill that played a role in the war and a recently discovered, secluded natural spring.
In a letter to VDOT dated Thursday, Julie V. Langan of the DHR details the points of disagreement.
“After examining materials presented to us by VDOT and the consulting parties, listening to the views of all sides during the consulting parties meeting, driving the project corridor and studying the revised maps from the American Battlefield Protection Program, DHR must disagree with VDOT’s assessment of effect.”
The letter goes on to say that Hansbrough’s Ridge is a “dominant presence” on the area’s battlefield landscape and that VDOT should undertake efforts to minimize any adverse impacts.
“Additionally, we request that VDOT engineers explore again any possibilities to minimize the footprint of lane additions at Hansbrough’s Ridge in an effort to preserve as much of the ridgeline as possible.”
Finally, the DHR says a recently discovered historic spring, Wicked Bottom, must also be protected. A highway retention pond would take its place if the current plans were advanced.
Project in brief
At a public hearing on Wednesday, VDOT presented two options to expand a 5.1-mile, two-lane section of Route 3 between Stevensburg and Lignum to four lanes.
The first plan, estimated to cost $38.9 million, would widen the road along the existing track, with narrowed shoulders in some areas to minimize the impact to adjacent properties.
The second plan, estimated at $35 million, would construct a new highway route, bypassing Stevensburg to the north and rejoining the existing highway near Clay Hill Road. The second alignment would also cut out a section of Route 3 that’s had multiple fatal crashes in the past few years.
However, VDOT and law enforcement officials have said previously that driver error, deer strikes and inappropriate driving behaviors, not the inherent design of the two-lane road, are to blame for most of the problems.
VDOT Culpeper District spokesman Lou Hatter said the DHR’s review is part of the National Environmental Policy Act that applies to transportation projects using federal funds. Hatter also said that an adverse impact determination is common when projects impact historic resources.
“Addressing these types of questions typically takes 90 to 120 days after reviewing the public hearing comments and coordinating with DHR,” Hatter said late Thursday.
‘Zero sensitivity’
Brandy Station Foundation president Bud Hall said the DHR report vindicates everyone who championed protection of the nearby historic areas. He was also sharply critical of VDOT’s findings.
“It’s a shoddy piece of scholarship,” Hall said. “Their report showed absolute zero sensitivity. The report concluded that a four lane highway through Hansbrough’s Ridge and Stevensburg would have no adverse effect on the historic resources,” Hall said. “I thought it was ludicrous."
“The construction of a 150-foot wide highway with a 16-foot raised median in the center would effectively destroy historic landscape directly affiliated with the Stevensburg phase of the Battle of Brandy Station. DHR is to be commended and applauded for their correction of the record in this matter.”
In addition to the Brandy Station Foundation, Hall said the Germanna Foundation, Piedmont Environmental Council, the Civil War Trust and other groups went on the record to contest VDOT’s findings.
Asked what an acceptable transportation compromise would be, Hall said officials should mirror what was done in Upperville — a widened road with reduced speed limits and traffic calming elements. “Route 50 is busy if not busier and it’s a very safe model.”
Zann Nelson, a local historian and Star-Exponent columnist, also applauded Thursday’s DHR decision.
“DHR is really on top of things when the citizens come forward and raise questions,” she said. “That’s the way the system is supposed to work. If nobody questions a report, you can’t implement the checks and balances. As painful as it is, it is a system that is working properly.”
---
DHR went on to say the "ridge line was the most dominate and significant feature of the Stevensburg phase of the Brandy Station battle. It is also the feature with the greatest remaining historic integrity within the [Route 3] projects Area of Potential Effects."
The "GREATEST REMAINING HISTORIC INTEGRITY." In other words, Hansbrough is just about as close as it could be to the events it witnessed during the Civil War.
It should be and needs to be preserved - as is.
In today's Culpeper Star Exponent
DHR disputes VDOT's Route 3 findings
By Nate Delesline
Published: March 25, 2011
View the DHR's comments http://media.gatewayva.com/cse/PDFs/route3.pdf
On Thursday, another front emerged in the battle to widen Route 3 in the Stevensburg area, this time between the Department of Historic Resources and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The DHR formally rejected an earlier VDOT report that claimed an expansion of the highway would have no adverse effects on the Brandy Station Civil War battlefield, Hansbrough’s Ridge, a Stevensburg-area hill that played a role in the war and a recently discovered, secluded natural spring.
In a letter to VDOT dated Thursday, Julie V. Langan of the DHR details the points of disagreement.
“After examining materials presented to us by VDOT and the consulting parties, listening to the views of all sides during the consulting parties meeting, driving the project corridor and studying the revised maps from the American Battlefield Protection Program, DHR must disagree with VDOT’s assessment of effect.”
The letter goes on to say that Hansbrough’s Ridge is a “dominant presence” on the area’s battlefield landscape and that VDOT should undertake efforts to minimize any adverse impacts.
“Additionally, we request that VDOT engineers explore again any possibilities to minimize the footprint of lane additions at Hansbrough’s Ridge in an effort to preserve as much of the ridgeline as possible.”
Finally, the DHR says a recently discovered historic spring, Wicked Bottom, must also be protected. A highway retention pond would take its place if the current plans were advanced.
Project in brief
At a public hearing on Wednesday, VDOT presented two options to expand a 5.1-mile, two-lane section of Route 3 between Stevensburg and Lignum to four lanes.
The first plan, estimated to cost $38.9 million, would widen the road along the existing track, with narrowed shoulders in some areas to minimize the impact to adjacent properties.
The second plan, estimated at $35 million, would construct a new highway route, bypassing Stevensburg to the north and rejoining the existing highway near Clay Hill Road. The second alignment would also cut out a section of Route 3 that’s had multiple fatal crashes in the past few years.
However, VDOT and law enforcement officials have said previously that driver error, deer strikes and inappropriate driving behaviors, not the inherent design of the two-lane road, are to blame for most of the problems.
VDOT Culpeper District spokesman Lou Hatter said the DHR’s review is part of the National Environmental Policy Act that applies to transportation projects using federal funds. Hatter also said that an adverse impact determination is common when projects impact historic resources.
“Addressing these types of questions typically takes 90 to 120 days after reviewing the public hearing comments and coordinating with DHR,” Hatter said late Thursday.
‘Zero sensitivity’
Brandy Station Foundation president Bud Hall said the DHR report vindicates everyone who championed protection of the nearby historic areas. He was also sharply critical of VDOT’s findings.
“It’s a shoddy piece of scholarship,” Hall said. “Their report showed absolute zero sensitivity. The report concluded that a four lane highway through Hansbrough’s Ridge and Stevensburg would have no adverse effect on the historic resources,” Hall said. “I thought it was ludicrous."
“The construction of a 150-foot wide highway with a 16-foot raised median in the center would effectively destroy historic landscape directly affiliated with the Stevensburg phase of the Battle of Brandy Station. DHR is to be commended and applauded for their correction of the record in this matter.”
In addition to the Brandy Station Foundation, Hall said the Germanna Foundation, Piedmont Environmental Council, the Civil War Trust and other groups went on the record to contest VDOT’s findings.
Asked what an acceptable transportation compromise would be, Hall said officials should mirror what was done in Upperville — a widened road with reduced speed limits and traffic calming elements. “Route 50 is busy if not busier and it’s a very safe model.”
Zann Nelson, a local historian and Star-Exponent columnist, also applauded Thursday’s DHR decision.
“DHR is really on top of things when the citizens come forward and raise questions,” she said. “That’s the way the system is supposed to work. If nobody questions a report, you can’t implement the checks and balances. As painful as it is, it is a system that is working properly.”
---
DHR went on to say the "ridge line was the most dominate and significant feature of the Stevensburg phase of the Brandy Station battle. It is also the feature with the greatest remaining historic integrity within the [Route 3] projects Area of Potential Effects."
The "GREATEST REMAINING HISTORIC INTEGRITY." In other words, Hansbrough is just about as close as it could be to the events it witnessed during the Civil War.
It should be and needs to be preserved - as is.
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