Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 18 · column 3 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
after the projects advertised.
Phase two. from Rt. 622 west to Sperryville (1.9 miles), is scheduled to be advertised for bids in July 1990. A pain, the construction schedule follows that of phase one.
Mr. Moon estimated that each phase would take about one year, with the first phase construction ending as the second phase begins.
The cost of the project, estimated now at $13.3 million, will be shared by the state and federal governments, with Virginia contributing roughly 25 percent and the federal share about 75 percent. The state must request the allocation from Washington,
Purchases of right-of-way are underway for both phases of the project, Mr. Moon said, with about 20 percent of the needed property for phase one already acquired. Purchase of land for the phase two expansion is at the 10-15 percent level, Mr. Moon said. Those figures are based not on dollar values but percentage of road frontage acquired, he added.
The cost estimates for the rightof-way acquisition, as of September 1987, are $725,000 for phase one and $575,000 for phase two, Mr. Moon said.
If the project is scrubbed, Mr. Moon said, the department has two options with the right-of-way it already owns. It could either hold on to it with the expectation that the four-laning may be done later, or it could be sold back to the former owners.
Mr. Moon was candid when asked about the effect the recent opposition to the project may have. Noting that the district’s primary road hearing will be held in Culpeper on Monday, April 11, “a big factor in this project’s progress will be what is heard at that meeting." The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the district highway department headquarters on Rt. 15.
Although recommendations on projects can be made by residencies and districts, the final decision on whether to proceed on a project rests with the Transportation Board, which will hold the hearing
"The department is more sensitive now. The answer could not be, ’Tough, the decision was made in 1974’," Mr. Moon said. “. . . Projects can be put on, and they can be taken off. Communities change, and their goals change.”
Put in terms of an analogy to baseball, Mr. Moon was asked if the situation could be compared to the opponents at bat in the bottom of the ninth, two out and two strikes, with little hope for a win.
“It may be late in the ball game,” the engineer replied, “and they’ve been put behind by a late start, but they’ve got the bases loaded with a good hitter up."
77.3%