Construction of the western bypass will not begin without further analysis and public input.
The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Wednesday to pass a resolution regarding the western bypass. According to Charlottesville Tomorrow, the Board hopes that the Virginia Department of Transportation will hold meetings and conduct more research on the western bypass before construction begins next year.
VDOT has been asked to conduct studies on the health effects of constructing a highway near Albemarle County schools and to evaluate current traffic patterns in order to alleviate the impact on the surrounding county.
Critics had hoped that such measures would be taken before VDOT markets the project to potential contractors or enters into a contract for construction, a process that state Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton hopes to initiate by the end of this month.