CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) – Chesterfield County officials are getting some major push-back from residents against a plan to expand Woolridge Road from two to four lanes.
The Sndersons live right off Woolridge Road and say the county’s plan to expand the road creates major problems.
“The curb will be within three feet of my drain field,” said John Anderson.
That’s what they use for their sewage system, as they’re not connected to the county’s water source.
That, and potential other impacts on neighboring homes, have residents distressed.
“I wish it would go away,” said Anderson.
“We’re not against the expansion altogether, we just think the county is sort of rushing into it,” said Kenneth Leidner, the president of Foxcroft Homeowners Association.
The funding for the project comes from the Magnolia Green Community Development Authority, and does not allow for sidewalks or bike lanes, something residents say is imperative.
“The main concern is safety,” said Leidner.
There are already hundreds of signatures on an online petition asking officials to delay the project, citing safety concerns like speeding.
“Other safety concerns like stop lights or something of that nature to slow down the traffic and they said ‘well we can’t get you the stop light until we get the traffic that warrants it and that’s probably 10 years away.’ So we’re going, ‘if it’s ten years away to get that, why are we getting a four-lane road now?’” said Leidner.
“That area is one of the most popular ones in the county. Cosby High School is right down the road, people are continuing to move in there, so what we’ve tried to do in this case is get ahead of the curve in terms of infrastructure,” said the county’s Director of Transportation Jesse Smith.
Smith says the project will actually improve safety.
“If you’ve been out there, the lanes are only about ten feet wide, they’re very narrow, there’s no shoulders,” he said.
Smith says they can always find outside funding to build sidewalks in the future. They are in phase 1 of the project. Officials also plan on addressing concerns in a public meeting very soon.
