Leaders in the City of Williamsburg have approved a plan to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety on Monticello Avenue, but funding has yet to be secured for the project.
The Williamsburg City Council unanimously voted Thursday to move forward with a plan to construct a multi-use path along Monticello Avenue from Treyburn Drive to a point near the Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse.
No plans for the path have been formally drawn up, but City Engineer Aaron Small said staff envisioned a 10-foot-wide asphalt trail separated from the road way and would include street lighting for both the trail and the road.
Near its eastern end, the trail would cross College Creek using a wooden trestle bridge to limit the environmental impact on wetlands near the college campus and Lake Matoaka.
The vote was the final necessary step in submitting an application to the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives Program, which would provide 80 percent of the funding for the project if the city is selected.
The program, which is administered in the state by the Virginia Department of Transportation, is geared toward pedestrian and bicycle facilities, community improvements and lessening the negative impacts of the highway system.
Small said the project was essentially contingent on receiving federal funding, but acknowledged the process was competitive. If the city’s TAP application was not accepted this year, Small said another would be submitted in 2015.
Monticello is administered by VDOT, and is not included among the city’s street maintenance responsibilities. City Manager Jack Tuttle said that was the main factor in the road’s current state.
“Otherwise, it certainly would have had streetlights a long time ago, and no doubt would have had at least a sidewalk,” he said.
As it is currently constructed, Monticello has narrow bicycle lanes and lacks pedestrian accommodations, lighting and a shoulder. Small said the current configuration creates a pedestrian safety concern for residents and students traveling between the College of William & Mary, New Town, High Street and midtown Williamsburg.
“It is downright scary to ride down that road especially at night because of the people walking,” Councilwoman Judy Knudson said. “Anything to improve that is a good idea.”
Small said the estimated cost for the project was $1,249,000, 20 percent of which would be contributed in equal proportion by the city and the College of William & Mary, or about $125,000 apiece. The application did not include an extension up Compton Drive in order to keep costs lower and maximize the city’s chance of receiving the funds.
The trail had been a topic of discussion during the annual meeting between city staff and William & Mary administrators, Small said. Councilman Scott Foster has pushed for a similar project throughout his tenure on City Council, and said Thursday’s vote was a long time coming.
“I’ve pestered folks about this for a while,” Foster said. “I’m just glad to see it’s on its way. Even if we don’t get it this year, we’ll be able to re-tool it for next year.”
Vice Mayor Paul Freiling agreed.
“This to me is one of the most important pedestrian access improvements we will have made in a long time,” Freiling said. “If you think it’s scary driving down it, imagine being the pedestrian.”
