The City of Charlottesville is in the process of purchasing property to build a 1,700-foot shared-use path on Barracks Road from Emmet Street to Buckingham Road. That’s about halfway up the hill, and drew questions from one long-time observer of local government.
“What are we thinking?” says Rugby Road resident John Pfaltz. “It’s too steep for bicycles to go up the path from CVS. And it’s impossible to go downhill without breaking the law.”
Pfaltz says he commuted by bicycle to his job at the University of Virginia for decades, and that he used Rugby Road rather than Emmet Street on his return journey to avoid the hill.
“I would never use this so-called multi-use path,” Pfaltz told City Council on May 1. “The city wants more bike paths and there are better places to put [them]. Why don’t we use the money to create a really interconnected network?”
But that’s not how funding for specific improvements works in Virginia. This fully funded project began life nearly seven years ago after council agreed in 2016 to pursue money through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart Scale process. The Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded $8.6 million to a project that also adds additional turn lanes at the Barracks/Emmet intersection as well as improvements for pedestrian safety.
The Planning Commission found the plan to be in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan in February 2020. Council gave final approval of the plans in the fall of 2021 after the final design public hearing was held that summer.
Pfaltz’s question comes at a time when the city is still wrestling with how to rebuild its ability to deliver on promises to build a robust multimodal network. In 2015, the city was awarded funding for streetscapes on Emmet Street, East High Street, and Fontaine Avenue and none of those projects have moved forward. In fact, none of the city’s Smart Scale projects have made it to construction.
Last year, council canceled the West Main Streetscape and returned over $10.8 million in Smart Scale funds to VDOT. They also canceled a project to alter the intersection of Preston and Grady avenues.
Earlier this month in a written report, interim City Manager Michael Rogers hinted other projects may also be on the chopping block.
“There will be additional considerations of canceling projects that will help to right-size the portfolio so the team can remain focused on results-oriented management of the portfolio of projects,” Rogers wrote.
If this project moves forward, the right of way phase will continue through the end of year with construction expected some time in 2024.