Commonwealth Transportation Board awards contract for Route 220 and Route 419 intersection improvements

SALEM – The Commonwealth Transportation Board at its December 4 meeting in Richmond awarded a contract valued at $34.4 million to Branch Civil Inc. from Roanoke to improve and reconfigure an interchange and multiple signalized intersections along the Route 220 and Route 419 corridors. The intersection improvements will enhance signal timing and are expected to provide significant congestion relief along both corridors.

Construction is expected to begin in early 2025 with work performed outside peak travel times.  Work activities will be scheduled and completed at different intersections throughout the life of the project with overall project completion anticipated in fall 2028. The following improvements are included in the contract:

• Replacing the existing interchange at Route 419 and Route 220 in Roanoke and Roanoke County with a diverging diamond interchange (DDI). A DDI is an innovative interchange with traffic temporarily crossing traffic to the left side of the road. Constructing a DDI will address current and future congestion and provide enhanced safety, capacity and efficiency.
• Modifying three signalized intersections on Route 419 to reduce congestion by providing added green time for the movements with the highest demand. The side-street traffic, which is the lowest volume, that currently proceeds straight across Route 419 will be redirected to turn left or right at the signal and to turn directly into businesses or use a nearby turn lane to make a U-turn. The intersections on Route 419 in Roanoke and Roanoke County are at Ogden Road, Elm View Road and South Peak Boulevard.
• Modifying seven signalized intersections on Route 220 to reduce congestion by providing added green time for the higher demand movements by redirecting the low-volume side street through traffic. In Roanoke and Roanoke County, the Route 220 intersections are located at Valley Avenue/Southern Hills Drive, Crossbow Circle/Pheasant Ridge Road, Buck Mountain Road/Stable Road and Indian Grave Road/Clearbrook Village Lane. In Franklin County, the intersections on Route 220 are with Wirtz Road/Virginia Marketplace Drive and Sontag Road/Cassell Drive and in Henry County with Dyer Street.
• Converting the intersection of Route 220 and Bonbrook Mill Road in Franklin County to an unsignalized Continuous Green-T. This innovative intersection will add a dedicated lane in the median to provide vehicles turning left from Bonbrook Mill Road onto southbound Route 220 more space to accelerate and merge safely.