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Home My WebLink AboutTCMinutes2026February23TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE REPORT to the BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Monday, February 23, 2026 8:30 a.m. 107 NORTH KENT STREET, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA ATTENDEES: Committee Members Present: John Jewell Chair (Voting), Jason Aikens (Voting), Dustin Simkhovitch (Voting), Robert Liero (Voting) participated remotely, Tim Stowe (Voting) and Kevin Kenney (Voting) Committee Members Absent: None Staff Present: John Bishop, Assistant Director, and Kathy Smith ITEMS REQUIRING ACTION BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Proposed Airport Access: Upon a motion made by Kevin Kenney and seconded by Jason Aikens the Committee recommends forwarding a resolution to the Board in support of the proposed commercial entrance project at Coverstone Drive to improve access to Winchester Regional Airport. Staff presented the proposed commercial entrance and turn lane concept plan at Coverstone Drive for a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. The project cost estimate is $300,000.00. The project would be eligible for a grant funding opportunity with the VDOT Airport Access Program, and the Winchester Airport Authority would use local funds to cover any additional cost. Mr. Sabo has assured Mr. Bishop that no funds would be requested of the County. The project involves creating a commercial entrance to the north side of Winchester Regional Airport from Coverstone Drive. The project is to provide adequate access to key parcels in this area to support potential economic opportunities. ITEMS FOR INFORMATION ONLY: Exit 315 Bridge Resurfacing-Update: VDOT Staff gave an update on the Exit 315 bridge resurfacing project. The operation is scheduled for weekends in June. This is a routine activity, but with funding and opportunity to utilize new treatment that is expected to last longer than the typical material. This new treatment has a longer curing time and involves more of an installation process. VDOT will be notifying the public before the project starts. Route 7 Route 522N Urban and Route 522N Rural Pipeline Study-Update: Brad Reed, VDOT District Planner for the Staunton District, gave an overview of the preliminary Pipeline Studies recommendations. These studies are for important Transportation corridors within the community and for Smartscale applications support data. Attached are Route 7, Route 522 North Urban and Route 522 North Rural Pipeline slides that were presented to the Committee. County Project Updates: Renaissance Drive: Currently, Staff is waiting for the final invoices from the contractors. CSX equipment is to be picked up to complete closure and finalize reconciliations on the project. Gainesboro Road/Route522 Intersection Project: Surveying has been underway and 30% of the design is under development. Other: US 522 & ROUTE 7PREFERRED ALTERNATIVES FEBRUARY 2026 UPDATE 1 Alternatives Overview 4 #Location Type Location Description Alternatives Under Consideration Primary Need Addressed Primary Direction Addressed 2 Segment PSI Segment #1 & #2 Add Warning Signs, Shoulder Widening, and Rumble Strips Road Departure Crashes Both 5 Intersection Siler Road/Siler Lane Crossover Signing/Marking, Left Turn Deceleration Lane, and/or RCI Severe Angle Crashes US-522 Southbound 7 Segment PSI Segment #3 Add Warning Signs, Shoulder Widening, and Rumble Strips Road Departure Crashes Both 8 Intersection Marple Road/Cedar Grove Road Remove Traffic Signal and Replace with RCI or MUT Severe Rear-End Crashes US-522 Northbound 10 Intersection Indian Hollow Road Add Intersection Warning Sign Severe SB Rear- End Crashes US-522 Southbound US 522 (Rural) Public Survey Summary •Public Survey was open from November 13, 2025, to November 27, 2025 (2 weeks) •Most respondents live in the Reynolds Store and Gainesboro area, and work in the Winchester and Gainesboro area 6 Views Participants Responses Comments 6,437 459 4,369 348 5 Location Location Type Location Description Alternative Alternatives Under Consideration Benefit/Cost Ratio Public Survey Score (1 to 5)* 2 Segment PSI Segment #1 & #2 1 Warning Sign and Pavement Improvements 25.4 4.24 (Strong Support) 2A Shoulder widening and add rumble strips (Right side)34.2 – 25.6 4.40 (Strong Support) 2B Shoulder widening and add rumble strips (Left side)0.2 4.40 (Strong Support) 5 Intersection Siler Road/Siler Lane 1 Warning Sign & Crossover Sign Improvements 98.7 3.95 (Somewhat Support) 2 Add Dedicated Left Turn Lane 1.5 – 0.9 4.39 (Strong Support) 3 Convert to Unsignalized RCI 17.3 - 14.8 3.07 (Neutral) 7 Segment PSI Segment #3 1 Warning Sign and Pavement Improvements 18.79 4.17 (Strong Support) 2A Shoulder widening and add rumble strips (Right side)2.3 – 1.3 4.34 (Strong Support) 2B Shoulder widening and add rumble strips (Left side)1.9 – 1.3 4.34 (Strong Support) 8 Intersection Marple Road/Cedar Grove Road 3 Remove Traffic Signal and Replace with RCI 24.8 – 16.5 2.8 (Somewhat Oppose) 10 Intersection Indian Hollow Road 1 Add Intersection Warning Sign 5.9 4.28 (Strong Support) *0-1 = Strongly Oppose, 1-2 = Somewhat Oppose, 2-3 = Neutral, 3-4 = Somewhat Support, 4-5 = Strong Support Alternatives Decision Matrix 14 •Alternative 3A – Increase left side shoulder width to 4’ and add rumble strips on hotspot curves •Alternative 3B – Increase right side shoulder width to 8’ and add rumble strips on hotspot curves (Alt. 3A & 3B) - Targeted Shoulder Widening/ Rumble Strips LEGEND Targeted Shoulder Widening/ Rumble Strip Locations 23 (Alt. 1) – Warning Sign & Crossover Sign Improvements 26 (Alt. 2) – Add Dedicated Left Turn Lane 32 (Alt. 3) – Convert Signalized Intersection to Unsignalized RCI Loon provides two-stage u-turn storage for WB-40 vehicle 20 PSI Segment #3 - Alt. 2A/B •Alternative 2A – Increase left side shoulder width to 4’ and add rumble strips along entire segment •Alternative 2B – Increase right side shoulder width to 8’ and add rumble strips along entire segment LEGEND Segment Endpoints PSI Segment Extents 37 Alt. 1 – (Warning Sign Improvements) Indian Hollow Rd ST-25-03 US 522ECHO LANE TO WINCHESTER CITY LIMITS (URBAN)PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE SELECTIONJANUARY 21, 2026 1 Alternatives Overview 5 #Location Alternatives Under Consideration Need Addressed 1 Apple Pie Ridge Road at James Wood HS Entrance Directional Left-In, Reconfiguration with Full Movements Operations 1-4 Apple Pie Ridge Road & US 522 (N Frederick Pike) Between James Wood HS and VA 37 Interchange Sidewalk and pedestrian bridge, sidewalk and barrier sidewalk, RRFB crossing Pedestrian Access 3 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at VA 37 Southbound Ramps Right turn lane addition and storage Operations 4 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at VA 37 Northbound Ramps Left turn lane extension and storage Operations 5-6 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at Fox Drive & at Exeter Drive Sidewalk and crosswalk installation Pedestrian Access 6 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at Exeter Drive & Sunnyside Plaza Circle Warning Sign Improvements Safety 7 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at Rivendell Court & Westminster Canterbury Drive Sidewalk and crosswalk installation, signing and marking improvements Pedestrian Access, Safety 7-8 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) Between Rivendell Court and Fortress Drive Sidewalk and crosswalk installation Pedestrian Access 8 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at Fortress Drive & Scarlet Maple Drive Warning Sign Improvements Safety 8 PSI Segment Between Fortress Drive and Winchester City Limits Merge Area Signage Safety US 522 (Urban) Public Survey Summary •Public Survey was open from December 3, 2025, to December 17, 2025 (2 weeks) • Two -thirds of respondents live and/or work in either zip codes 22603 and 22601, which comprise northern Frederick County and the City of Winchester, respectively. •While the view rate was consistent with related surveys, the response rate was low. 7 Views Participants Responses Comments 4,112 83 906 75 6 Alternatives Decision Matrix Alternatives grouped by appearance on public survey Location Location Description Alternative Alternatives Under Consideration Preliminary Cost Estimate Safety Benefit/Cost Ratio Public Survey Score (1 to 5)* 1 Apple Pie Ridge Road at James Wood HS Entrance 1 Directional Left-In ~$600,000 0.0**Somewhat Support (3.66) 2 Reconfiguration w/ Full Movements ~$550-$600,000 0.0**Somewhat Support (3.25) 1-4 Apple Pie Ridge Road & US 522 (N Frederick Pike) Between James Wood HS and VA 37 Interchange 1 Sidewalk, Pedestrian Bridge Variant ~$2,100,000A N/A Somewhat Support (3.49) 2 Sidewalk, Barrier Sidewalk Variant ~$1,800,000A N/A Somewhat Support (3.18) 3 RRFB Crossing at Slip Lane N/A N/A Neutral (2.83) 3-4 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at VA 37 Southbound Ramps 1 Right turn lane addition and storage ~$4,400,000 ~0.03 Somewhat Support (3.81) US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at VA 37 Northbound Ramps 2 Left turn lane extension and storage ~$1,000,000 ~0.10 Strong Support (4.13) 5-6 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at Fox Drive & at Exeter Drive 1 Sidewalk and crosswalk installation ~$1,300,000AB N/A Strong Support (4.03) US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at Exeter Drive & Sunnyside Plaza Circle 2 Warning Sign Improvements ~$20,000 ~4.0 N/A 7 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at Rivendell Court & Westminster Canterbury Drive 1 Sidewalk and crosswalk installation, signing and marking improvements ~$1,300,000AB N/A Strong Support (4.10) 7-8 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) Between Rivendell Court and Fortress Drive 1 Sidewalk and crosswalk installation ~$1,300,000AB N/A Strong Support (4.20) 8 US 522 (N Frederick Pike) at Fortress Drive & Scarlet Maple Drive 1 Warning Sign Improvements ~$20,000 ~8.0 N/A 8 PSI Segment Between Fortress Drive and Winchester City Limits 1 Merge Area Signage ~$15,000 ~87.0 N/A *1 = Strongly Oppose, 2 = Somewhat Oppose, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Somewhat Support, 5 = Strong Support **no crashes reported within analysis window AR/W excluded Bshared estimate 8 James Wood HS Entrance Alt. 1 – Directional Left In N Apple Pie Ridge Rd Apple Pie Ridge RdJWHS EntranceJWHS EntranceApple Pie Ridge Rd Apple Pie Ridge Rd Current Lane Configuration Proposed Lane Configuration Reroute left turns to Woodside Pl Inset Inset No Right Turn 9 James Wood HS Entrance Alt. 1 – Directional Left In Sidewalk from JWHS to VA 37 Interchange Alternative Overview 16 •Shared across Alternatives – Sidewalk and crosswalk along Apple Pie Ridge Road and US 522 from JWHS to the VA 37 interchange •Alternative 1 – Separated, raised pedestrian bridge behind bridge support piers •Alternative 2 – Protected sidewalk along roadway in front of bridge support piers •Shared in all (Alternative 3 in survey)– RRFB crossing at VA 37 NB on-ramp Sidewalk from JWHS to VA 37 Interchange Alt 1. – Ped Bridge Variant 17 VA 37 Operational Alternatives Overview 26 •Alternative 1 – Install a full right-turn lane for SB US 522 onto SB VA 37 back through the Apple Pie Ridge Road intersection •Alternative 2 – Install a full left-turn lane for SB US 522 onto NB VA 37 back through the NB VA 37 intersection 36 Fox Drive / Exter Drive Alt. 1 – Pedestrian Facility Improvements 41 Rivendell Court Alt. 1 – Pedestrian and Signing/Paving Improvements 44 Existing drainage feature requires a workaround – may involve closing the second entrance East of Rivendell Alt. 1 – Pedestrian Improvements 49 PSI Segment Alt. 1 – Merge Area Signing Improvements ROUND 3 ST-25-05: ROUTE 7, GREENWOOD RD TO FREDERICK COUNTY LIMIT Preferred Alternatives Selection Meeting December 16, 2025 Study Area Overview •Located 3 miles east of downtown Winchester in Frederick County •Study focuses on VA-7 (Berryville Pike) •Greenwood Rd (west limit) to County Line (east limit) •Divided principal arterial roadway •45 MPH posted speed •Generally residential, rural/suburban, forested hilly terrain •Elementary school north of VA-7 at Greenwood Rd •School zone on VA-7 with 35 MPH speed limit, from Eckard Cir (west of Greenwood Rd) to Pikeside Ln (east of Greenwood Rd) 1 START END Elementary School & High School Study Corridor 2 Intersection modifications under consideration Shoulder and lane widening under consideration Alternatives Decision Matrix 3 Location Alternative Alternative Description Crash Reduction Delay s/veh AM(PM)V/C Average Public Survey Score VA -7 at Greenwood Rd/First Woods Dr No Build No Build -174(115)1.85 - 1 Add northbound through/left and right turn lane, Add westbound left turn lane 1.1 crashes per year 66(53)0.97 4.23 (Strong Support) 2 Add northbound through/left and right turn lane, Add westbound left turn lane, Add eastbound left turn lane 1.1 crashes per year 56(50)0.89 - VA -7 eastbound between Woods Mill Rd and Burnt Factory Rd Widen VA-7 eastbound shoulders and travel lanes 1.0 crashes per year --4.25 (Strong Support) Alternative 1: VA-7 at Greenwood/First Woods 6 VA-7 Split Split Greenwood RdConsider implementation as the mid-term strategy ADD NEW LANE VA -7 Split Split Greenwood RdAlternative 2: VA-7 at Greenwood/First Woods 7 Long term vision: Consider adding 2nd EB left turn lane if AM traffic congestion increases 2045 and beyond Looking west from the Greenwood Rd/First Woods Dr intersection1 1 Median slope challenges due to superelevation VA -7 at Greenwood Road Impact Considerations 9 Looking north from Greenwood Rd1 1 2 Looking east at the culvert structure under Greenwood Rd2 Approx. 40’ between utility poles Utility impacts Approx. location of Vertical curve crest Wetland impacts Preferred Alt: VA-7 EB West of Burnt Factory Rd 11 12 Widen Shoulders and Install Edge Line Rumble Strips 18 CRASHESStatistics Collision TypeFatal/Injury = 31% Fixed Object Off Road = 68%Speeding = 42% Side Swipe Same Dir. = 16%Night = 10% Rear End = 11%No Adverse Weather = 100% Non-Collision = 5% NORTH Earthwork required Widen pavement to increase lane width from 11’ to 12’ and average shoulder width on both sides Source: NCHRP Report 633 No Build Widen Shoulders and Lanes PDO/yr Injury/yr PDO/yr Injury/yr 2.4 1.4 1.8 1.0 Total Benefit $7,538,364 over 20 years Questions/Comments? Thank you for participating! 14