VDOT News - Culpeper

CULPEPER — A contractor for the Virginia Department of Transportation will soon reduce Route 708 (Red Hill Road) to one lane at Route 20 (Scottsville Road) in Albemarle County to rehabilitate the bridge over the North Fork Hardware River. 

The structure is located north of the Town of Scottsville. It was built in 1959 and is deteriorating. This $5.3 million project includes widening the bridge’s foundation, then rebuilding the superstructure with new steel beams and replacing the concrete deck riding surface. The improved bridge will feature wider travel lanes and include standard concrete railings. 

During construction, crews will reduce Red Hill Road to one lane and install a three-way traffic signal at the intersection with Scottsville Road. The speed limit on Route 20, about half a mile on either side of the intersection, is also going down from 55 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour to prepare drivers for the traffic signal. 

The speed limit reduction goes into effect the week of Nov. 6 when initial work begins. Drivers will see road work signs and flagging teams working at the intersection. 

As construction ramps up, the temporary traffic signals will be put into place to control the intersection. VDOT expects message boards to go up this December advising drivers of the timeframe for the temporary signal installation. During construction, vehicles wider than 11 feet will not have access to Red Hill Road from Route 20. 

The latest data available reports about 9,000 vehicles use Route 20 in that area daily, so motorists should be aware they will encounter backups during construction. Please use extreme caution and drive slowly through the work zone. The expected completion date for the bridge is Dec. 5, 2024. 

Culpeper District updates are on the district’s Facebook page and the district’s Twitter account, @VaDOTCulp. For questions or to report hazardous road conditions, the public should contact VDOT’s 24-hour Customer Service Center by visiting my.vdot.virginia.gov or calling 800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623). 

Current traffic conditions, VDOT’s statewide network of traffic cameras and other real-time travel information is on the 511Virginia website. That information is also available on the free VDOT 511 mobile app or by calling 511 from any phone in Virginia. 

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