Marty Gordon, NRVsports@ourvalley.org
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors have given a dedicated permanent drainage easement and a variable width temporary construction easement to VDOT for the proposed widening of Route 8 near Auburn Middle School.
The measure was approved this past week and includes vacating an existing 20-foot waterline easement and convey a new variable width waterline easement to the Montgomery County Public Service Authority. Thus, allowing the much-needed parcel of land for the additional work.
This $4.6 million SMART Scale project (FY2024) on Route 8 is a widening and improvements project in Riner includes constructing a center Two-Way Left Turn Lane, adding curb and gutter and drainage improvements. This project integrates with the previous Route 8 Sidewalk Project.
The project is located in the vicinity of Fairview Church Road and Union Valley Road and more specifically from 0.27 miles south of Route 669 (Fairview Church Road & Union Valley Rd) to 0.05 miles south of Route 669 (Fairview Church Rd & Union Valley Road).
Estimated construction will start in late fall of this year with completion in the summer 2028.
Supervisors also approved their 2026-32 Secondary Road Six-Year Plan. The list includes priorities for:
1. Countywide traffic services, engineering and right of way costs, including rural addition.
2. Taylor Hollow Road – hard surface unpaved road, from first bridge to low water structure: approximately 0.4 miles
3. Willis Hollow Road – hard surface unpaved road and improve drainage, from 0.5 mile from Route 637 to 1.0-mile past Route 637.
4. Poff School Road – hard surface unpaved road. From Route 617 to 0.75 miles west of Route 617
5. Bobcat Lane – hard surface unpaved road and improve drainage. From Glade Road to ESM, approximately 0.4 mile.
6. Split Rail Road – hard surface unpaved road, 0.3 miles
Overall, the draft construction for Montgomery County in 2026/2027 shows
Telecommunication fee allocation = $213,412
Unpaved road allocation = $575,073
Total allocation = $788,485
Proposed Expenditures Countywide and Rural Additions – $30,000
Taylor Hollow – fully funded with construction expected in 2026
Willis Hollow – $500,073 toward preliminary design, engineering and future construction
Poff School Road – $75,000 for preliminary design and engineering.
