Franklin Turnpike Signal Light Advances in SMART SCALE Program

September 27, 2024

Local News

One application for transportation improvements in Pittsylvania County has been approved for the next level of consideration for SMART SCALE funding.

A signal light and U.S. 41 (Franklin Turnpike) and Orphanage Road was screened into the SMART SCALE program and Pittsylvania County has submitted a full application for the project. Once the project is reviewed and approved by Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) staff, the application will go before the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), according to Emily Ragsdale, Director, Pittsylvania County Community Development. Ragsdale updated the Board of Supervisors during a September 17 work session.

If the project scores high enough for full funding through SMART SCALE, it will become official when the CTB adopts its Six Year Improvement Plan in June and the County will be notified, according to Ragsdale.

A median on Route 41 and roundabouts at U.S. 41 and the Mount Hermon Circle and Ridgecrest Drive intersections were screened out of this cycle of Smart Scale funding, according to Ragsdale.

VDOT advised the County to apply again for funding in 2026, according to Ragsdale.

Pittsylvania County has also given VDOT two additional project to consider for feasibility. Those include the intersection of US Route 29 and Dry Fork Road and the intersections of Mount Cross Road, Laniers Mill and Moorefield Bridge Road.

Pre-applications for SMART SCALE funding on those projects will be submitted in April 2026, according to Ragsdale.

Improvements along U.S. 41 (Franklin Turnpike) were the subject of a Project Pipeline study by VDOT, which analyzed safety and operational issues along the U.S. 41 corridor.

Enacted in 2017, Smart Scale is used to fund transportation projects and is scored on five main factors and those differ throughout the state. In Pittsylvania County, projects that address safety, 40%, and economic development, 30%, receive the most weight when it comes to scoring. The remaining categories include congestion mitigation, accessibility and environmental quality.