Lori Graham
Contributing Writer
MONTGOMERY CO. – At the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meeting Mar. 11, VDOT Representative David Clarke provided an update on Montgomery County roads’ conditions, projects, and clean-up due to the recent high winds that brought down trees and debris.
Preparations for paving work is happening, according to Clarke, on several roads in the county as well.
“They’ve already started paving on Glade Road, they’ll be doing about four miles in the Bradshaw area and about four miles on Catawba Road from the Roanoke County line back into Montgomery County,” Clarke said. “We’ll also be doing some surface-treated roads. Some in the McCoy area, Keisters Branch area, Sterling Drive, Whittaker Hollow. We’re doing Sydney Church, that was a rural rustic road, unpaved road project that we did and every once in a while they need to be gone over again. Doing some on Brush Creek and Craigs Creek Road as well, also on Mount Pleasant and on Brooksfield.”
Some of these projects will occur this summer and will also include work from the Floyd County line back into Montgomery County on Route 612 in the Pilot area, Clarke said. Little River Dam Road is also in need of work and is slated to be improved. Taylor Hollow Road in the Lusters Gate area is planned as a summer project.
Supervisor Sara Bohn thanked Clarke and VDOT for Mill Point Road. Additional pothole repairs were requested in the Town of Blacksburg, Horseshoe Road, Nellies Cave Road, and Harding Avenue were some mentioned.
A right turn lane for Peppers Ferry Road is in the design phase, Clarke said.
Supervisor Todd King brought up an ongoing request for drainage repair on Poff School Road in the Riner district of the County. Clarke said that some work has been done in that area with putting down gravel and placement of piping.
Supervisor Anthony Grafsky asked for information on traffic impact in the Merrimac Road area. Clarke said that he wasn’t sure what the requirements are specifically at this time, but it would not be on Merrimac Road.
“They are required to put in a commercial entrance, and we’ve been working with the developer on whatever that would end up being,” Clarke said.
Supervisor April DeMotts said, “You may have already heard because I brought it to our team’s attention, because it’s rare for me to get any complaints. Off of Route 11 on Walton, the entrance to the New River Recycling site, the way that that was portrayed to me was that it was creating quite a hazard, that the roadway is always wet there because something, water is coming from somewhere constantly across the roadway there. Now that we’re kind of at the other side of winter, it’s not as big of an issue, but it was freezing constantly.”
DeMotts said that these complaints came from two different citizens within days of each other. Clarke said that the cracked pavement at the recycling site was under discussion, and they were aware of and had plans to assess the issues to see where the water is coming from.
Supervisor DeMotts also pointed out that further down on Crab Creek, a bridge is deteriorating. Clarke said the bridge is slated to be replaced with a larger bridge.
On Alleghany Springs, just prior to Flick Drive, is a patching issue according to Supervisor Steve Fijalkowski.
“Speaking of Alleghany Springs, you’ll see a big group out there at some point here in the next week or two looking at that Smart Scale project that the county was successful in getting at the intersection of Route 11 and Alleghany Springs,” Clarke said. “We’re going to have a bunch of people out there walking around trying to figure out exactly how to, how to get that project to get it started. It’s in design now.”
Fijalkowski said that he thought a lot of people had hoped for a traffic light as this is a dangerous spot and difficult to see oncoming traffic.
County Administrator Angie Hill introduced the new Community Resource Officer Daniel Williams. Williams was able to be hired due to budget monies made available for this position, working with Sheriff Hank Partin and his office.