WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg City Council agreed to move forward with the pre-design phase for four VDOT Smart Scale Projects at its March 14 meeting.
The four funded Smart Scale Projects are Lafayette Street signal and pedestrian improvements, Richmond Road signal coordination and pedestrian improvements, Lafayette Street widening, and the Monticello Avenue/Richmond Road/Lafayette Street Roundabout.
The Lafayette Street Signal and Pedestrian Improvement Project would see signal timing and coordination, as well as the addition of pedestrian push buttons and pedestrian countdown signals at the intersections of Lafayette Street and North Armistead Avenue, North Boundry Street and North Henry Street. The project has a total estimated cost of $91,000. Funds for the project would be available in July, when preliminary engineering would begin. Construction would start in July 2026 and finish in March 2027.
The Richmond Road Signal Coordination and Pedestrian Improvements projects would see signal timing and coordination at the intersections of Richmond Road and Governor Berkely Road, Chili’s/Ramen Time, Ironbound Road, High Street, Bypass Road, Mount Vernon Avenue and Monticello Avenue/Lafayette Street. In addition, it would also include the intersections of Ironbound Road and Longhill Road, Ironbound Road and Treyburn Drive, Monticello Avenue and College Row, and Monticello Avenue and Treyburn Drive.
That project has a total estimated cost of $204,000, with funds and preliminary engineering beginning in July. Construction would begin in July 2026 and be completed in July 2027.
The Lafayette Street Widening Project would increase travel lanes from 9 feet to 11 feet between Bacon Avenue and Wythe Avenue. It would also widen the western sidewalk between these two points and add an eastern shared-use path from Bacon Avenue to Virginia Avenue. The project would also maintain on-street parking, relocate underground utilities and add new street lighting.
That project has a total estimated cost of $5.87 million between engineering, construction, and Right-of-Way funds, with $1.541 million in local funds included for Right-of-Way. The project would begin with funding and preliminary engineering in July. The Right-of-Way phase would take place in April 2027 to December 2027. Construction would break ground in December 2027 and is projected to be complete in July 2029.
The Monticello Avenue/Richmond Road/Lafayette Street Roundabout would see the conversion of the existing signalized intersection to a multi-lane roundabout. It would replace sidewalks on all approaches and provide refuse islands and marked crosswalks on all approaches. The estimated cost of this project totals $6.967 million.
It was cautioned during the presentation that the estimate for the roundabout has increased and the current estimate is between $8.823 to $10.570 million. As such additional funds would be required — from $2 to $3.5 million that would be requested from VDOT — due to an increase in building costs and materials. The funding would be available in July when preliminary engineering would take place, with a Right-of-Way phase slated for June 2027 to December 2027. Construction would begin in September 2028 and is projected to be completed in March 2030.
The city council’s move to approve the projects allow them to move forward to the design phase, after which the council will determine if the city would still like to proceed. Each project would be considered individually in the future rather than as a group, with multiple opportunities for public input and the ability for the city to halt the projects if it deems fit.
“Really, all this resolution says is that VDOT, if you’re giving out money, we’d still take it,” said City Manager Andrew Trivette to City Council.
“I think it’s entirely appropriate for us to look and see what opportunities are available to make improvements to our roadways and sidewalks and underground powering, so I certainly would support this,” said Mayor Douglas Pons.
A motion was made to approve the resolution, as well as to allow the city manager to obtain all necessary documentation to move forward. That motion passed unanimously.
The next city council meeting will be on April 10 at 2 p.m. in the Stryker Center for more information, visit the official website.
