Cost estimates for two proposed Warrenton road projects have risen by millions of dollars from initial projections, leaving Warrenton Town Council members frustrated and uncertain about how to proceed.
As of Tuesday morning, whether or not council members would agree to move forward on applying for another round of cost-sharing grants for the projects through the Virginia Department of Transportation was still up in the air. Council members are scheduled to vote on the issue after a public hearing Tuesday evening.
“I think this is asinine. I think our locality and our citizens are getting screwed by VDOT,” said Councilman Sean Polster (At-large) of the increased cost estimates. He expressed hope that state and federal funding for local projects might increase. “So no, I don’t think we need to shut this down and walk away. … So yes, I am fired up.”
Polster suggested holding off on a decision about whether to apply during the 2021 grant cycle until next month, even though the deadline was Oct. 8.
“We’re as far out as we can be. … we need to move forward, or not,” said Mark Nesbit, a VDOT engineer, in response. But in reply to further questioning from Polster, he acknowledged that “VDOT will have to make a decision whether to accept [a late application] or not.”
Other council members echoed Polster’s frustration and a majority agreed in principle that they should hold off deciding the issue until next month. “It’s pretty frustrating that we would need to hold off on [applying for the cost-share grant] right now,” said Councilwoman Heather Sutphin (Ward 1).
Denise Harris, the town’s planning manager, had suggested waiting until the next application cycle — in 2023 — to apply for the cost-share grant for money to fund the Main Street and Walker Drive projects. “We think it would be a good moment to hit the pause button,” said Harris. “There are so many moving parts.” Waiting until 2023 would give planners ample time to find cost savings and efficiencies, something that wasn’t fully possible this fall, she said. Additionally, the town could explore additional funding sources.
And, she pointed out, the Main Street project doesn’t need to be done all at once. The town could use the $1.5 million already committed to the project in 2019 to make gradual progress on the project.
Background
In 2019, the town successfully applied for two cost-sharing grants to help pay for improvements to Main Street and for construction of a roundabout at Walker Drive and East Lee Street. Then, preliminary estimates put the Main Street project at $1.5 million and the roundabout at $1.4 million. The town committed to providing half of the funding, with the state paying for the rest.
When the state further analyzed the concepts, however, the cost estimates came back several times higher: $4.2 million (in 2021 dollars) for the Main Street project and $6.8 million for the roundabout. With inflation — the projects wouldn’t actually break ground until the late 2020s — the true combined cost could be closer to $17 million, according to VDOT estimates, meaning the town could be on the hook for more than $8 million if council members decided to move forward with the latest round of cost-share program applications.
The state informed the town about the new cost estimates in September, several weeks before the Oct. 8 deadline to apply for another round of state grants to help cover the increased costs. Town planners, private engineers and VDOT officials rushed to find ways that the designs could be made more cost-efficient. The revised total estimated cost of the preliminary designs presented to council members Tuesday was between $6.7 million and $8.3 million in 2021 dollars.
About the projects
Main Street
A concept to make Main Street more pedestrian-friendly was first presented in 1992, and the current plan mirrors that original concept, Planning Manager Denise Harris said Tuesday.
The current proposal, which Harris emphasized is still preliminary, would add raised brick crosswalks, widen sidewalks, make curbs accessible to people with disabilities and add “bump outs” to sidewalks to increase the visibility of pedestrians to drivers.
Many of the improvements would mirror the 2018 pilot project that added “bump outs” and improved crosswalks at the intersection of Main Street and Fifth Street, explained John Wright of Bohler Engineer.
“It’s enhancing what was done as a pilot program at Fifth Street and extrapolating that across Main Street,” he said.
Walker Drive roundabout
The single-lane roundabout proposed at the intersection of Walker Drive, East Lee Street and Oliver City Road would be large enough for a school bus or fire engine to pass through it without the need to use curbs or “truck aprons,” according to the latest design concept presented to council members Tuesday morning.
It would also include sidewalks and shared-used paths in an effort to make the intersection safer for pedestrians. “Improved multimodal connections will assist residents south of the roundabout … access the town center and the new development along Walker Drive,” said an Oct. 26 planning document.
Also included in the design is built-in space to add an additional lane within the roundabout if traffic demands increase in the future. That would reduce the initial cost and make the roundabout easier for drivers to use, said the Oct. 26 document. “A pure single-lane configuration may in fact function adequately longer, or even in perpetuity,” the document said.
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Future of Warrenton Main Street improvements, Walker Drive roundabout uncertain - Fauquier Times
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