RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Lou Hatter (540) 829-7537 Louis.Hatter@VDOT.Virginia.gov Odile Brookings 540-829-7394

CULP-108 Dec. 19, 2006

Motorists Have New Access to Route 29 South of Culpeper

CULPEPER – Cooperation between county government, developers and the Virginia Department of Transportation is leading to improvements in the road network around Culpeper.

During the past several weeks VDOT crews have completed construction of a new crossover on Route 29 south of Mountain Run Lake Road that will provide access to Granite Boulevard. That new road runs through the Stone Ridge subdivision, which is being built by Angler Development LLC on the west side of Route 29.

The new road, which connects to Mountain Run Lake Road, represents the first section of the planned Outer Loop around the town of Culpeper. Additional sections of that road are now in the planning stages.

The project was made possible through the cooperation of Culpeper County, Angler Development and Trigon Development, Culpeper Agricultural Enterprises and VDOT. The development companies donated right of way and worked together with VDOT and the county to plan the best access point for the new road so that it would line up with the current development at Stone Ridge as well as future planned development on the east side of Route 29.

Culpeper County committed local funds to the project to qualify for VDOT’s revenue-sharing program, which matched the local contribution with state funds. VDOT’s Culpeper Residency did work on the connection of Granite Boulevard with Route 29 using a state construction crew, resulting in a significant cost savings.

On Tuesday, Dec. 19 those involved in the project gathered at the site to acknowledge the accomplishment. John Coates, chairman of the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors, said the project “is an example of what can be accomplished when everyone works together.” He pointed to the attendance of five members of the Board of Supervisors as indicative of the importance the board places on transportation as well as “the vision that made possible what you see here today.”

Del. Ed Scott, who represents Culpeper County in Virginia’s House of Delegates, said that although the project is relatively small, “all the factors that lined up here are what we need to line up to advance transportation in Virginia.”

And Steve Vento, executive vice president of Angler Development LLC, called it “a great cooperative effort.” Vento noted such projects are “the keystone to future development, looking not three or five, but 20 years down the road. This sets an example for how it should be done.”

VDOT began construction of the eastern section of Granite Boulevard in October 2005 and completed it in May. The cost was $203,000, a savings of $99,000 compared with the estimated construction cost of $302,000. Work on the crossover began in late September and was completed last week. The actual cost was $135,000; the pre-construction estimate was $180,000.