Studies: Route 151 Corridor Study - Nelson County

2023 Study Background and Scope 

Project Scope

A study is currently being conducted on a 14-mile stretch of Route 151 in Nelson County. The boundary of this project stretches from the Afton Mountain Rd intersection to 2.5 miles south of Beech Grove Rd.

A study of Route 151 was recently completed in 2013, which included areas North of Albemarle County and was a joint study between the Lynchburg District and the Culpepper District of VDOT. Route 151 is a two-lane Rural Minor Arterial Road that as of recent years has begun to see economic development. This development comes in the form of micro-breweries. As Nelson County’s agritourism industry is growing, Route 151 often suffers from traffic congestion and crashes.

In between the time frame of August 1^st, 2017, to July 31^st, 2022, 212 crashes occurred. No fatal injuries were recorded during that time frame. The purpose of the study was to see if we could further improve accessibility, operations, and most importantly safety for all users of the road.

Another important aspect is to improve multi-modal accessibility within the Nellsyford community to help support the stretch of economic development that acts as Nellysford’s Main Street and to link up the Main Street with housing developments that are in the area.

Intersections Studied

The following intersections were studied as part of the Route 151 Corridor Study. They were:

1. Route 6 (Afton Mountain Road) / Route 638 (Avon Road) Intersection
2. Route 840 (Tanbark Drive) Intersection
3. Route 635 (Greenfield Road) Intersection
4. Route 635 (Rockfish School Lane) Intersection
5. Route 6 (River Road) Intersection
6. Route 634 (Monocan Dr) Intersection
7. Route 627 (Spruce Creek Lane / Glenthorne Loop) Intersection

Meetings Held

The first Public Meeting for the Corridor Study was held on: April 18^th, 2023.

The second Public Meeting for the Corridor Study was held on: November 1^st, 2023.

In the future, there will be a public online survey that the public who live on, around or use Route 151 can answer questions and provide crucial feedback on our study.

A topic that often comes up is Through Truck Restrictions. Here is a link to that section of Virginia law. Chapter 580. Guidelines for Considering Requests for Restricting Through Trucks on Primary and Secondary Highways

Benefits of the Study

A benefit of the Corridor Study is it provides VDOT and the locality short-, mid- and long-term improvements to these problem areas along the corridor. These solutions can be from adding a right turn lane, to turning an intersection into a roundabout or implementing further signage. These ideas can form into future projects that the locality can fund through programs like SMART SCALE, Revenue Sharing, or the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). These Corridor Studies form the backbone of these future projects.

Afton Mtn Rd Improvements.pdf

Mill Ln and Greenfield Rd Improvements.pdf

Nellysford Improvements.pdf

Overall Corridor Improvements.pdf

Rockfish School Ln.pdf

Route151CorridorImprovementsStudy_Welcome_Flattened.pdf

Rte 151 Alternatives Public Input Meeting .231030.pdf

Spruce Creek Glenthorne & Southern PSI Improvements.pdf

Tanbark Dr Improvements.pdf

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2013 151 corridor study documentation:

The Intersections

The following intersections were visited as part of this study.  The Route 151 intersection with:

• Route 664 (Beech Grove Road)
• Route 627 (Spruce Creek Lane)
• Route 634 (Adial Road)
• Route 613 (Rodes Farm Road)
• Route 6 (River Road)
• Route 635 (Old Rockfish Lane)
• Route 635 (Greenfield Road) 
• Route 729 (Creek Road-at store/gas station)
• Route 784 (Bland Wade Lane)
• Route 760 (Sunrise Drive)
• Route 638 S (Avon Road)
• Route 6 (Afton Mountain Road)/Route 638 N (Avon Road) and 
• US Route 250 (Rockfish Gap Turnpike)

Final Report 

Supplemental materials:

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E

Appendix F

Benefits 

   This study identifies opportunities for improvements along the Route 151, including those to address safety and increased traffic.