Work on new Verona sidewalks continues with spring completion date planned

Patrick Hite, Staunton News Leader
·2 min read
After six years of planning, the sidewalk project in Verona along Laurel Hill Road and Route 11 is underway.
After six years of planning, the sidewalk project in Verona along Laurel Hill Road and Route 11 is underway.

VERONA — If you've driven along Laurel Hill Road (Route 612) in the last few months you've certainly seen the work being done to add a sidewalk in the area.

Doug Wolfe, Augusta County's community development director, said it has taken six years of planning, starting in 2017 with preliminary engineering work, to get to this point. Construction began in September on the $2.4 million project, funded through the Virginia Department of Transportation's alternatives program with a 20% match from Augusta County.

When completed the project will have added ADA compliant sidewalks along Laurel Hill Road from the Park and Ride on Lodge Lane (at the entrance to Wendy's and McDonald's) to the railroad tracks near the intersection with Route 11. It will give pedestrians easier access to get to Food Lion and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, among other locations along the route.

After that part of the project is complete, Wolfe said work will shift to the Route 11 portion of the sidewalk. That segment will extend from the Staunton city limits north to the existing sidewalk at Dick Huff Lane and the entrance to the Augusta County Government Center.

Per the county website, sidewalks along all segments except for Lodge Lane will be constructed behind existing curb and gutter and will have new ADA compliant curb ramps and minor entrance adjustments and reconstruction. Along Lodge Lane, new curb and gutter will be installed. Pedestrian push buttons and signal heads will be provided for proposed crossings at traffic signals along the project.

Current and upcoming lane closures and work zone notices due to the construction are posted at VDOT's 511 traffic information website.

Construction is expected to be complete by May 2024, per Wolfe.

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Verona sidewalk construction underway with hopes for spring completion