Two resolutions addressing road improvements were approved by the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors at its July 16, business meeting.

County staff submitted two projects for Virginia’s Smart Scale program and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) determined that they were eligible for full submission on August 2. A resolution in support of the projects by the Board was required as part of the package. That resolution was approved as part of the Board’s consent agenda.

The first project for Smart Scale is the connector road expansion at Berry Hill which includes reconstructing the existing interchange at the Danville Expressway (US Route 58) and Oak Ridge Farms Road (VA 1260) to a diverging diamond interchange. This type of interchange was recommended as the preferred alternative in the access request at the Southern Virginia Mega Site (Berry Hill) in March 2023.

The second project will add a traffic signal with pedestrian signals and crosswalks, a southbound right turn lane, eastbound turn lane and a westbound left turn lane.

These potentially funded projects will go to the Commonwealth Transportation Board in January 2025, with the final approval being made in June 2025. The first date that a phase for these funded projects can start is August 2027, according to Carson Eckhardt, District Planner, Lynchburg District, VDOT.

The second resolution designated the following roads as Rural Rustic and are part of VDOT’s Six-Year Plan, making them eligible for hard surfacing:

• Route 694 (Dairy View Road) from Route 703 to the Banister River
• Route 781 (Rockcreek Road) from Route 40 to Route 626
• Route 671 (Midway Road) from Route 792 to Route 665
• Route 975 (Eddies Lane) from Route 718 to dead end
• Route 641 (Spartan Lane) from 0.35 miles south of Route 665 to dead end

As part of its resolution, the Board requested that these roads be hard surfaced, and to the fullest extent possible, preserve the rural characteristics of each.