An “RCUT,” an innovative intersection design at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield intersection on US 220, is among the Smart Scale highway improvement proposals Botetourt County officials are considering.

It may be one of three or four proposals the county will send forward in the next round of funding applications through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart Scale program.

Botetourt County is holding an open house at the Greenfield Education and Training Center on Thursday, July 19 from 6-8 p.m. to receive public input on the possible Smart Scale projects.

The restricted crossing U-turn intersection, or RCUT, is the Virginia Department of Transportation’s preferred alternative for handling traffic at the US 220 intersection with International Parkway that leads into the industrial/commerce park and Ashley Way that leads into Ashley Plantation.

An RCUT intersection is designed where all side street movements begin with a right turn, according to a VDOT informational page on its website.

Side street left-turn and through vehicles turn right, then travel a short distance and make a U-turn at a dedicated median opening to complete the desired movement.

Main intersection and median U-turns can be designed as signalized, stop controlled or yield controlled.

A preliminary drawing for the Greenfield/Ashley Plantation intersection shows traffic leaving Ashley Way turning north on US 220. Traffic that wanted to go south would merge into a new U-turn lane and make that U-turn at a median crossover about 640 feet from the intersection. The dedicated right-turn lane southbound on US 220 into International Parkway would be extended to that crossover.

All traffic leaving International Parkway would turn south on US 220. Traffic that wanted to go north would merge into a new U-turn lane then through a median crossover to go north.

The new southbound U-turn lane and crossovers would accommodate tractor-trailers.

Traffic on US 220 would operate as it does now. It would still turn left into International Parkway from northbound US 220 at the existing intersection, and traffic would turn left into Ashley Way from southbound US 220 at the existing intersection.

Plans also call for creating pedestrian crossings at the intersection.

County Administrator Gary Larrowe told the county’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) Friday afternoon that the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) is not interested in stopping traffic on throughways like US 220.

That’s part of the reason behind considering an innovative intersection design like the RCUT.

Larrowe called it “a stretched out traffic circle.”

Getting the project funded through Smart Scale requires that the project score well in the competitive program. He said this particular project carries more weight because it’s the entrance to Greenfield, an industrial park.

Also, the Roanoke Valley Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) has designated $300,000 toward the project, which reduces the cost to VDOT and helps the project score better.

Larrowe said the county has had requests for a stoplight at the intersection from companies in Greenfield, but VDOT says other alternatives have to be considered first.

Should traffic become too serious at the intersection— even if an RCUT is created— it could qualify to be signalized later on.

According to VDOT’s website, an RCUT should be considered when heavy through and/or left-turn traffic volumes on the major street— in this instance US 220; and low through and left-turn traffic volumes on the side streets

According to VDOT, the benefits are improved safety because it reduces the number of points where vehicles cross paths and eliminates the potential for head-on crashes.

VDOT also says it increases efficiency because each direction of the major street can operate independently, creating two one-way streets and increasing the overall intersection capacity.

There are shorter wait times as well. VDOT’s website says fewer traffic signal phases means less stopping for arterial vehicles and allowing only right turns from side streets means less waiting.

According to VDOT, an RCUT also can be more cost effective than adding lanes to improve capacity.

The other possible Smart Scale applications include providing a signaled pedestrian crosswalk on US 220 to connect Daleville Town Center and Orchard Marketplace in Daleville.

A third application includes making improvements to Glebe Road with a crosswalk on Glebe Road from The Glebe to Daleville Town Center.

The county is also considering an application for a “connectivity” improvement plan on US 220 between Botetourt Commons and Catawba Road in Daleville. That includes limiting left turns at several intersections where there are crossovers on US 220 and providing RCUTS similar to what’s proposed at Greenfield. There’s also the potential for stoplights at Lord Botetourt High School, although that was not a firm proposal.

The public can get more details about each proposed project at the open house.

The county’s applications for the third round of Smart Scale funding are due to VDOT by August 1.