Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 6561 |
| Work Detail | Work continues on the Odd Fellows Road interchange and extension project, which the Virginia Department of Transportation expects will reduce traffic congestion along Candlers Mountain Road and enhance access to the industrial Mayflower Drive. A $29.8 million contract was awarded to G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. in January 2015. The project was funded through state and federal funds. The project began in January 2016 and involves extending Odd Fellows Road to connect to a new diamond interchange and bridge that’s in the process of being constructed. The project also calls for the creation of roundabouts at Top Ridge Road and the intersection of Odd Fellows Road and Mayflower Drive. The roundabout at Mayflower Drive and Odd Fellows Road will replace existing traffic lights and accommodate more traffic. According to VDOT spokeswoman Paula Jones, it is anticipated that the number of crashes at the intersection may be reduced by around 30 percent based on planning models. The roundabout at Top Ridge Road will allow full access to and from U.S. 29/460 via Odd Fellows Road. The project also includes features such as a shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians. Work currently underway includes grading and construction of drainage structures. The construction of the bridge also is underway in the median of U.S. 29/460, Jones wrote in an email. The project’s anticipated completion date is August 2018. According to Jones, there is limited impact to motorists. The speed limit in the area of the project on U.S. 29/460 has been reduced so work vehicles can safely enter and exit the median area. “These vehicles are often heavy equipment and it takes additional time for them to get up to speed,” she wrote. The Lynchburg branch of N.B. Handy, a distributor of products such as sheeting metal and HVAC equipment, has resided at its Odd Fellows Road since 1979. The company relies on tractor trailers to ship and haul freight, said Paul Seufer, general manager of the Lynchburg branch. While there has been no current impact to the Lynchburg branch, Seufer acknowledged that as the project progresses along Odd Fellows Road “everyone will feel a little bit of pain.” Seufer said he has met with representatives of VDOT and the primary contractor, “and we have many assurances that they will do everything they can to limit disruption to our business.” Arc3 Gases, a supplier of gas and welding products on Odd Fellows Road, also has yet to be impacted by construction but expects the project to eventually affect access to the business by tractor trailers and customers, said branch manager Darryl Murray. “There’s going to be some impact on businesses around here,” Murray said. “I don’t think it will stop us … but it’s going to be one of those things where they will have to do a lot of planning to allow people to conduct and run their businesses through here.” A lot of traffic cuts through Odd Fellows Road to bypass Candlers Mountain Road, Murray said. “People don’t understand this is an industrial park and not a thoroughfare,” Murray said. With all the traffic trailers, it was a wise and appropriate decision to construct an overpass, Seufer said. “Truthfully, it’s about five to 10 years overdue,” he said. “It’s going to be a real plus for this part of town.” In the coming months, grading and work on the bridge pier will continue on the project while retaining walls for the future bridge abutments will be constructed along the highway, Jones wrote in the email. Other work will include the relocation of utilities along Odd Fellows Road in an area south of the post office to allow road reconstruction in that area, she added. A subsequent phase of the Odd Fellows Road project involves the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Albert Lankford Drive and Murray Place. Funding for that phase of the project has been identified but the construction schedule has not yet been determined, according to Jones. |
| Country | United States , Northern America |
| Industry | Construction |
| Entry Date | 15 Oct 2016 |
| Source | http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/work-progresses-on-odd-fellows-road-interchange-project/article_ae53917b-0648-59ea-a4dc-c71a86abf629.html |
