Proposed: Route 29 and Route 703 Tightsqueeze (Pittsylvania County)

The existing and adjacent intersections along Route 29 are prone to operational issues and congestion during peak demand periods. The purpose is to reduce conflict points by eliminating median crossovers to address safety and congestion on a Virginia Corridor of Significance. An RCUT was approved through Smart Scale.

After the public hearing notices were published in the local newspapers and the notifications per the Public Involvement Manual were mailed, citizens began responding via email to the project manager, the residency, and their local Board of Supervisors (BOS) in opposition of the proposed RCUT.  In fact, the BOS received so many complaints regarding the proposed RCUT that the County Administrator wrote a letter dated May 16, 2023, to the Assistant Resident Engineer of the Halifax Residency requesting that VDOT abandon the planned improvements for the project. 

A proposed alternative to the RCUT that will address the safety and operations needs of the intersection was devised and shared with the BOS on July 18, 2023.  The BOS requested a CIM for the proposed alternative to gauge the public's response prior to requesting the proposed alternative be advanced.

Benefits 

The proposed alternative consists of adding a left turn lane on Tightsqueeze Rd. and a right turn lane on Fairview Rd. to improve traffic flow in the area, reducing cue lengths on both Fairview and Tightsqueeze roads, making the intersection easier to navigate.