By Matthew Harrington,
Transportation Planner
HRTPO staff regularly highlight a project currently being implemented in the Hampton Roads Region. The City of Suffolk recently received additional State funding for its Pitchkettle Road Realignment Project, which aims to improve corridor safety for both pedestrians and drivers, while also providing much-needed aesthetic improvements.
The realignment project will include pedestrian accommodation on both sides of the roadway, improve the overall safety of the corridor with increased visibility, and better delineated roadways with curb and gutter. It will feature a two-lane divided roadway that includes curb and gutter improvements, a raised median, a ten-foot asphalt path on the north side, a five-foot concrete sidewalk on the south side, and drainage improvements.
The project will also include improvements at the existing intersection which consists of an exclusive right-turn lane for southbound traffic along Constance Road to improve traffic flow and reduce backups at the railroad crossing, and a dedicated southbound left-turn lane and right-turn lane on Pitchkettle Road. These improvements will be located from the existing bridge over Lake Meade to the existing intersection of Pitchkettle Road, Prentis Street, and Constance Road.
The overall budget for the project is $10.5 million, with Construction totaling $5.8 million and Preliminary Engineering and Right of Way totaling around another $5 million. The city recently received an additional $1,911,258 from the Virginia Department of Transportation, through their Revenue Sharing program, to address cost overruns and additional funding needs. The project has been in planning for several years, and both the design and right-of-way acquisition are complete. The project is scheduled to enter construction this month and conclude in the Fall of 2027.
Source: HRTPO, The City of Suffolk
The City of Suffolk’s website provides more information on the project, and can be accessed at https://www.suffolkva.us/1341/Pitchkettle-Road-Realignment
To learn more about this and other projects in the region, visit the Hampton Roads Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) webpage at:
https://www.hrtpo.org/31/HRTPO-TIP