HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) – The City of Harrisonburg is designing improvements to South Main Street in the vicinity of the Exit 243 interchange and extending to Mosby Road, that will include safety benefits and improve operations at intersections to reduce delay.

Harrisonburg Public Works will host an open house Wednesday, March 12, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Public Works Administration Building, 320 E. Mosby Rd., where community members will learn about the project and have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on proposed improvement designs.

Proposed intersection improvements include:
• At the intersection of South Main Street, Covenant Drive, and the I-81 on-ramp and off-ramp (Exit 243): construction of additional turn lanes and associated changes to improve operations at this intersection.
• At the intersection of South Main Street and Pleasant Valley Road: construction of additional turn lanes.
• At the South Main Street and Pointe Drive intersection: a change constructed to improve safety and reduce delay through an innovative way of accommodating left turns from Point Drive.

Proposed safety improvements along South Main Street include:
• A median constructed for the majority of the segment.
• Sidewalk added along the west side of South Main Street for the majority of the segment where there isn’t existing sidewalk, between the existing sidewalk south of the interchange and the existing sidewalk north of Pointe Drive.
• Additional short distances of sidewalk added on Pleasant Valley Road, the east side of South Main Street and Kaylor Park Drive.
• Pedestrian signals, ramps and crosswalks installed where appropriate at the intersections with Covenant Drive and with Pleasant Valley Road.
• An enhanced crosswalk across South Main Street constructed just south of Pointe Drive.
• Shelters installed at multiple bus stops on the corridor.

The project is funded through the VDOT SMART SCALE program.

“We are excited to present proposed improvements, some of which are innovative, that will enhance intersection functionality and safety along the project corridor,” Harrisonburg Public Works Director Tom Hartman said. “We look forward to hearing the public’s experiences to help guide us in finalizing planned improvements that will increase the safety of travelers along the corridor.”

Attendees of the open house will have the opportunity to:
• View educational displays about the improvement designs
• Speak directly with City staff about the project
• Express thoughts and questions through a public questionnaire that will be available during and after the event

Information about the project is available on the City’s website at www.harrisonburgva.gov/transportation-projects.

A questionnaire will be available at the open house to collect public thoughts/questions and will be available digitally until April 9, 2025. Written or oral questions and comments may be submitted to Brittany Clem-Hott by emailing brittany.clem-hott@harrisonburgva.gov or calling 540-434-5928 before or after the open house.