By Matt de Simone
At the March 25 meeting of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors, Ashley Mothena, Assistant Resident Engineer with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), presented an updated list of road projects included in the Secondary Six-Year Plan (SSYP) for 2026-31.
The SSYP outlines planned improvements and maintenance for secondary roads in the county, with estimated costs and timelines for each project. These projects aim to enhance infrastructure and address safety and accessibility concerns. The board will continue working with VDOT to oversee progress and funding allocations.
The most recently completed project involved drainage improvements on Blue Ridge Drive.
The updated project list includes:
- Route 645, Fringer Trail – $500,000, estimated completion spring/early summer 2024. Mothena noted it is expected to be paved by the end of this month, weather permitting.
- Route 712, Stevens Road – $550,000, estimated start summer 2025. Mothena stated it is unlikely to be hard-surfaced this year.
- Hunters Green Subdivision Full Depth Pavement Restoration – $845,000, estimated start summer 2025.
- Route 685, Ball Park Road – $400,000, estimated start summer 2026.
- Route 643, Mountain Valley Road – $250,000, estimated start summer 2027.
- Route 658, Laymantown Road – $50,000, estimated start summer 2027.
- Route 677, Roy Road – $500,000, estimated start summer 2028.
- Route 638, Old Hollow Road – $350,000, estimated start summer 2029.
- Route 728, Redbud Lane – $300,000, estimated start summer 2030.
- Route 600, Haymakertown Road – $400,000, estimated start summer 2031.
Mothena also provided a list of potential projects for Botetourt. She highlighted that the county has a significant number of unpaved road miles, which qualify for additional funding to support paving efforts. District Grant funds can only be used to hard surface gravel roads already maintained by the state that have a minimum daily traffic volume of 50 vehicles.
Additionally, the county has access to Telefees—funds that can be used for various projects, including countywide service improvements. In the past, Telefees have funded drainage improvement projects and were recently allocated to the Town of Fincastle for reconfiguring Main Street and Back Street into one-way streets after the courthouse project is completed. Mothena noted that there aren’t any current projects she was asked to look at that utilizes Telefees, but she shared that if the board saw an area that could use them, VDOT could look into potentially adding a Telefee project to the list.
Potential future projects include improvements to Flowing Springs Road, an additional one-mile section of Fringer Trail, Trevey Road, and Sugar Tree Hollow Road. VDOT will present a more formal list to the board at the April meeting.
In other updates, Mothena reported that road work on International Parkway and Route 220 is expected to be completed by June. While daily lane closures may still occur, continuous lane closures have ended.
