<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3YXHYJ_1FW42ONN00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3YXHYJ_1FW42ONN00" width="700" height="394" >ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – A major transportation study is underway to determine how a heavily traveled stretch of Route 122 through Franklin and Bedford counties can be made safer while accommodating continued growth around Smith Mountain Lake.The West Piedmont Planning District Commission is conducting the Route 122 Corridor Study in partnership with Franklin and Bedford counties. The study will focus on approximately 24 miles between Wirtz Road in Franklin County and Joppa Mill Road in Bedford County.Joe Bonanno, a senior planner with the commission, said the road has changed little despite significant development in the communities surrounding it.“It’s pretty much the same rural road it’s always been, but the Smith Mountain Lake community has been growing significantly.”That growth has put more vehicles on the two-lane highway and raised concerns about whether the road can safely handle future traffic.“The traffic volumes are increasing and they’re only going to get worse with the continued development of Westlake and Moneta and other areas there.”Safety will be a major focus of the study. Route 122 has had at least four fatal crashes in the past two years, and previous studies have identified portions of the road as problematic for crashes.Planners will consider intersection improvements, additional guardrails and straightening portions of the highway where possible. The study will also examine ways to accommodate people traveling without vehicles.“We want to look at geometric improvements, capacity improvements, but we also want to look at active transportation like bike and pedestrian.”For people who live along Route 122, concerns about crashes are part of everyday life.“I live right on this road at the intersection of Wirtz Road, and we have multiple horrible accidents happen there. I have children and it is horribly scary for my children to pull out of our driveway even,” Burnt Chimney resident Jill Peters said.The study will also examine whether additional capacity is needed as traffic increases. One possibility is eventually widening portions of Route 122 to four lanes.“We actually had that recommendation in one of our previous rural transportation plans. Probably not the whole corridor, but possibly sections,” Bonanno said.Kathy Pride said she would support widening the highway if it helped improve traffic flow and reduce dangerous passing.“I would be for it because there would be designated passing lanes and maybe people would be less inclined to pass into oncoming traffic.”Another major focus will be the Hales Ford Bridge, which carries Route 122 across Smith Mountain Lake and connects Franklin and Bedford counties.Planners are considering whether a second bridge span could provide another connection between the counties if the existing bridge were closed.“If something happened to the bridge where it was out for an extended period of time, it would take a driver perhaps an hour to get to the other side. We want to look at redundancy, possibly developing a second span,” Bonanno said.The study is being funded through a $1,657,148 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant from the Federal Highway Administration. Franklin County helped push for the study.“This is just a planning grant right now and the implementation grant would potentially be a lot more money and would actually implement the recommendations that come out of this plan,” Bonnano said.In addition to safety and capacity improvements, the study will examine connectivity along the corridor and opportunities for targeted traditional neighborhood and mixed-use development, particularly around Westlake Corner.“The RAISE Grant provides our region a unique opportunity to address transportation challenges and strategically plan for future growth. We are collaborating closely with Bedford and Franklin counties and are committed to engaging the public at every step,” West Piedmont Planning District Commission Executive Director Michael Armbrister said.The study is expected to take about two years. During that process, planners say residents will have opportunities to weigh in through public meetings before recommendations are finalized.Any construction resulting from the study would require additional funding and would come after the planning process is complete.</div></body>

Block Source: WSLS

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – A major transportation study is underway to determine how a heavily traveled stretch of Route 122 through Franklin and Bedford counties can be made safer while accommodating continued growth around Smith Mountain Lake. The West Piedmont Planning District Commission is conducting the Route 122 Corridor...

Study exploring potential for a four-lane highway between Moneta and Rocky Mount

Comments / 2