WILLIAMSBURG — The city will soon begin work to improve traffic flow and pedestrian conditions along Lafayette Street and Richmond Road.
Williamsburg City Council voted Thursday to move ahead with plans to work with a Virginia Beach-based engineering company to improve traffic signals at the busy intersection near Midtown Row. The process will involve reviewing existing signals and collecting data over the next six months to a year while developing a model to improve cycle lengths.
“Ultimately, this project aims to provide improved timing of all signals in these corridors enabling traffic to flow more efficiently throughout the city,” said Jack Reed, the city’s public works and utilities director.
The cost of the project — almost $159,000 — is funded by a Virginia Department of Transportation Smart Scale grant.
City Manager Andrew Trivette said the improvements should be “excellent news ” for residents who drive along the corridor. Talks for the project has been going for “at least five years” as the city secured funding from VDOT, he said.
“We’re going to synchronize the lights so that they work together as opposed to sometimes against each other,” Trivette said. “Right now, people probably feel like they’ve won the lottery when they hit all the green lights, and now we hope that’ll happen more often.”
Council member Stacy Kern-Scheerer said being able to drive down Richmond Road without stopping at each stoplight is “the dream.”
“I’m glad to see that it (has) gotten to this next step,” Kern-Scheerer said.
The city has previously discussed the possibility of putting a roundabout at the intersection, which also includes Monticello Avenue. City Council approved a pre-design phase in March, but there has been no update since then. Council did not discuss the roundabout on Thursday.
Related Articles
Williamsburg council approves pre-design phase for busy intersection roundabout near Midtown Row
Mayor Doug Pons said the city is waiting on VDOT to bring back engineering designs. The project, which has been in discussions since 2018, would convert the intersection into a multi-lane roundabout as an effort to improve safety and traffic efficiency.
Earlier this year, the city said construction of a roundabout wouldn’t start until 2028.
James W. Robinson, 757-799-0621, james.robinson@virginiamedia.com
