HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) – The City of Harrisonburg and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) are seeking community input on how to address the needs of people who use Virginia Avenue (Route 42) to serve their transportation needs between Gay Street and the northern City limits.

VDOT and Harrisonburg Public Works will host an open house for the study on Tuesday, May 6. There will be two location/timeframe options to attend where the community may share their experiences, thoughts and questions related to traveling the area. The open house location/time options include:
• 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC) Detwiler Auditorium, 1501 Virginia Ave.
• 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Harrisonburg City Hall – Room 11, 409 S. Main St.

An overview map of the Virginia Avenue study area.
Source: City of Harrisonburg Public Works

An online survey also will be available from May 5 at 10 a.m. through May 20 at https://vaprojectpipeline.virginia.gov/studies/staunton/st-25-01. The survey can be taken in a variety of languages using a built-in translate tool at the upper right of the screen.

The study will identify solutions for crash hot spots as well as identified operational issues during peak traffic periods. The corridor also has barriers to use for people biking and walking to destinations such as nearby activity centers and the transit connections used for travel throughout the city and beyond, each of which will be considered. The study is intended to assess mid-term to long-term challenges and opportunities and will identify project recommendations that can be advanced for federal, state and local funding opportunities.

Written or oral 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.