BLACKSBURG — On Wednesday, residents may view and comment on plans for major improvements to a troublesome section of North Main Street.

The estimated $10 million project would make significant changes to a half-mile stretch of North Main from College Avenue to Kabrich Street and, as currently conceived, would include a two-lane roundabout at Prices Fork Road and North Main.

Under the plan, that section of North Main would be reduced from four lanes to two through-lanes plus one turn lane. Raised medians would be added to sections of the project and sidewalks would be widened.

“This is a safety improvement project for pedestrians and vehicles,” said Blacksburg’s road projects manager, Brandon Steele.

Between Jan. 1, 2004, and Oct. 31, 2006, 93 vehicle crashes occurred along that stretch of North Main, Steele said. During a five-year period, Virginia Department of Transportation records show a total of 15 pedestrian and bicycle wrecks, some of them deadly.

The proposed improvements are expected to slow vehicle traffic and make that section of road more walkable, Steele said.

As part of the project, officials must acquire four buildings on the west side of North Main between Prices Fork and Kabrich Street. Some of the buildings, including a defunct restaurant, have been vacant for years.

The plan would also address trouble spots at the intersections with Giles Road and Turner Street, where dozens of vehicle crashes have occurred in the past five years. Under the proposed project, no left turns would be allowed from North Main onto Giles. The traffic signal at Turner and North Main would be upgraded and a left turn bay would be added there, Steele said.

All the comments are due by July 19 and will be discussed at a yet-to-be-scheduled Blacksburg Town Council work session, Steele said.

Officials estimate the improvements could be completed by 2013.

The North Main project will be the second major road project managed by the town under VDOT’s Urban Construction initiative. The first was the $8.4 million interchange at Toms Creek Road and U.S. 460 that opened last summer.

The council voted last year to join the initiative along with Hampton, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Charlottesville, Bridgewater, Lynchburg and Harrisonburg. The vote made Blacksburg the first Southwest Virginia locality to shoulder responsibility for road construction.

With few exceptions, VDOT has traditionally managed all aspects of road projects for cities and towns. Under the old system, localities paid VDOT for these services, creating an extra layer of bureaucracy and expense.

The new initiative allows localities to prioritize projects, hire contractors and manage daily construction work. Officials say this approach reduces the overhead costs of projects and may also speed construction of needed improvements. Under the initiative, VDOT officials still monitor the projects for compliance with laws and regulations.

Want to comment?

Go in person from 5 to 7 Wednesday at the Blacksburg Community Center, 725 Patrick Henry Drive or send comments to VDOT at saleminfo@vdot.virginia.gov or to Richard Caywood, P.O. Box 3071, Salem, VA 24153.