Crews will begin work in July on Lakeside Drive in York County in an effort to improve traffic flow. The project, which the Virginia Department of Transportation said will cause minor delays, is expected to be complete by early summer 2015.
Branscome, Inc. received a $7 million contract from VDOT to add left and right turn lanes and install curbing along the entire length of the 1-mile project, according to a news release from VDOT. The work will start near the intersection of George Washington Memorial Highway (Route 17) and Lakeside Drive and will finish just east of the intersection of Lakeside and Old Lakeside drives.
While crews are at work, Lakeside Drive may be closed to through traffic on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. On weekdays, motorists could encounter a single lane of traffic with flagging operations, according to the release. Detours will be in place to deal with any traffic congestion.
VDOT Area Construction Engineer Tom Druhot said crews will also grind up the pavement and base material on the road and then put it back down with a fresh layer of asphalt above it. That process, known as full-depth reclamation, makes the project take longer than one construction season.
“That gives you a consistent, sturdy base for the asphalt,” Druhot said.
According to VDOT’s website, the average daily traffic on Lakeside Drive is about 13,000 vehicles per day, which is expected to rise to almost 16,000 vehicles per day by 2033. The turn lanes from the project are expected to help improve traffic flow in the area.
A start date for a project that would widen Route 17 from Hampton Highway to Grafton Drive from four lanes to six has not yet been announced. The two projects will be going on at the same time. Druhot said the crews working on each project will be coordinating to cut down on any traffic fallout from having both projects going on at once.
Real-time traffic information from VDOT can be found on their website here. Commuters can also tune into Highway Advisory Radio at 1680 AM or call 511 or 361-3016.
