Open roads ahead

Smooth sailing through a former traffic bottleneck is on the horizon for Culpeper drivers.

Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman Lou Hatter said Thursday that the project to widen Bus. 29 in the ‘big box’ corridor should be completed next month.

“I can’t give you an exact date,” Hatter said by e-mail, “but the project is ahead of the scheduled completion date of Nov. 30.”

Finishing touches to the median and other details are ongoing in the $3.26 million project. When completed, the road will have four travel lanes — two in each direction — from Ira Hoffman Lane to a recently redesigned intersection with Route 666.

An eruption of retail growth along the road over the last decade brought with it an increase in traffic, leaving the former two-lane stretch of road clogged with traffic and frequently congested before its expansion. The approximately two-mile-long corridor is home to Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Target and dozens of other businesses.

North of downtown, Hatter said the Route 229 widening project is also on schedule. That project, which is under a $3.38 million contract, is set for completion next June.

Hatter said last month that the Route 229 project is actually three projects in one. The second element runs from the intersection of Bus. 29 to Fairview Road, while a timeline to complete the third and final phase, which runs from Fairview Road to town limits, has not been set due to funding concerns.

Finally, safety improvements to a curved stretch of Route 3 in the Stevensburg area are also slated for completion by December.

After a string of fatal accidents over the last several years, including a quadruple-fatal accident in March, VDOT officials announced, then began implementing improvements to the stretch of two lane highway.

“The short-term items, such as adjustments to passing zones, stop bars at intersections and additional warning signs, have already been completed,” Hatter said. Widening the pavement in the curve area is the final recommended improvement awaiting implementation.

Authorities say the investigation into the March accident is ongoing and it is not known if or when charges may be filed.