Under Construction

What's Being Done?

This construction project will widen 2.2 miles of Route 221 in the Forest area of Bedford County from a two-lane road to a five-lane road.  The widened road will have two travel lanes in each direction and a center turn lane.  The project is bound on both ends by four-lane sections of Route 221.

Features

The project includes building a right turn lane from westbound Route 221 onto northbound Gum Tree Road, a right turn lane from Elkton Farm Road onto eastbound Route 221 and a right turn lane from northbound Rustic Village Road onto eastbound Route 221.  A second left turn lane also will be added from northbound Route 811 onto westbound Route 221.

Work also includes replacing a small bridge over an unnamed stream near Route 609 and building two storm water management basins.

To widen Route 221, the contractor will place approximately 76,000 tons of asphalt, lay about 20,000 linear feet of storm drainage pipe, install more than 20,000 linear feet of concrete curbing and put down approximately 70,000 tons of base stone.

 

Project Updates

Construction began in July 2007 and will be completed in two phases.
 
Phase I will widen 1.3 miles of Route 221 east of Route 811 (Thomas Jefferson Road) toward Route 1489 (Venture Drive).  Phase I was completed in summer 2008.

Phase II will widen 0.9 mile of Route 221 west of Route 811 toward Route 1485 (Ambassador Drive).  Phase II is expected to be completed in September 2009.

Both Phase I and Phase II will require three major traffic shifts.  One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction during daylight hours.  Flaggers will direct traffic during nighttime hours between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday.

 

Contacts

Project Manager - Mark Betterton, (540) 857-7077
Area Construction Engineer - Jeff Echols, PE, (540) 375-3595
Media Contact - Heidi Underwood, (540) 387-5493