In what Meadow Creek Parkway opponents are calling a victory, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers withdrew a permit last Wednesday for key components of McIntire Road Extended (MRE), one of the two city portions of the Meadow Creek Parkway (MCP). The permit, which allowed for the creation of a sewer crossing and culvert, was necessary for construction of the long-debated roadway.
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Construction of the city’s portion of the Meadow Creek Parkway, which would run through Charlottesville’s largest park (pictured), could begin as early as this week, according to a VDOT spokesman.
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The withdrawal came a day before U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon was scheduled to hear arguments in a preliminary injunction suit filed to prevent construction through McIntire Park. A hearing for the injunction, filed by the Coalition to Preserve McIntire Park, was ultimately cancelled.
“We think that they knew they were going to lose and they just decided, rather than losing in court, to ask to terminate the permit,” says John Cruickshank, former chair of the local Sierra Club chapter and a vocal member of the coalition.
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) petitioned to have the permit withdrawn in order “to modify the design of the MRE to eliminate all impacts to waters of the United States,” writes Stephen Long, VDOT’s Environmental Division Administrator, in a letter to state and local officials. Since the new design won’t have any impact on local waters, the permit is no longer necessary.
As a result, the MRE, a state-funded project, won’t be considered “a federal undertaking” any longer.
The construction of the MCP was previously divided into three pieces—a move to ensure the project’s viability, according to members of the Coalition. The three projects include Albemarle County’s Meadow Creek Parkway, which is built but is not currently open to traffic, and two city projects, MRE and the Interchange at the 250 Bypass and McIntire Road. The Interchange is the only project with federal funding obtained through a $27 million earmark by former Virginia Senator John Warner.
Lou Hatter, VDOT’s spokesperson, tells C-VILLE that the termination of the permit will not affect the design of the road except for the portion that involved a stream crossing. “The other design work is fully completed and all we have to do is look at what kind of a crossing we use to put the road across the creek,” he says.
Cruickshank says the Coalition won’t stop working to protect the park, and says its members “feel this is certainly a set back for the road builders and that it’s good news for park lovers.” A lawsuit on the Interchange at the 250 Bypass and McIntire Road is pending.
Hatter says there may not be a construction setback. On June 2, Key Construction Co., Inc. of Clarksville, Virginia was awarded the MRE construction contract for $3.37 million. Construction could begin as early as this week, according to Hatter.
“There are other construction activities that can go on while we are determining the method to cross the creek and then [take] care of the construction,” says Hatter.