Second phase of U.S. Highway 58 project underway

ABINGDON, Va. – If you’ve driven U.S. Highway 58 between Abingdon and Damascus recently, you already know something’s happening.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has started construction on the second phase of its plan to widen the highway to four lanes between the two Washington County towns.

The $20 million project will widen the highway from Watauga Road to just east of Lacy Drive, a stretch of more than two miles, and includes replacement of the bridge over the Middle Fork of the Holston River.

The project, paid for with economic stimulus dollars, also involves the relocation of existing water lines to accommodate the road widening.

A separate, $26.2 million project is under way by the Washington County Service Authority to expand a water plant near the bridge. This project is funded with a stimulus loan, and will ultimately be paid for with money from water and sewer tap fees.

Michelle Earl, spokeswoman for VDOT’s Bristol District, said motorists traveling Highway 58 should expect only minimal delays, such as brief stoppages of traffic for equipment to cross the road.

Going on now are grading, water line relocation and bridge foundation construction, she said.

The project’s anticipated completion date is summer 2012. Earl said it will involve the movement of 270,000 cubic yards of dirt and the application of almost 48,000 tons of asphalt.

Robert Baker, area construction engineer for VDOT, said the two new lanes will be constructed first, and then traffic will be moved to the new lanes while the existing lanes are brought up to current standards. The same will take place on the bridge.

“The current bridge has some maintenance issues, and it would’ve been replaced even if we didn’t four-lane 58, so it’s going to be a new bridge, it’s going to be wider, four lanes, so safer and newer,” he said.

Greg Hoofnagle, vice president of operations for Hillsville-based DLB Inc., which is building the road and bridge project, said it’s created about a dozen jobs and led to the hiring of several local people; he expects to hire more in the future.

According to a required government report, a total of 60 people did work on the site in a recent month, including subcontractors.

“Had we not been able to take advantage of the stimulus funds, it would’ve probably been still on the shelf,” Earl said of the project. “We had the right of way, but we didn’t have the construction money.”

She said the four-lane highway will be a benefit for this stretch of 58, which is a highly traveled route by commuters and tourists.

Robbie Cornett, general manager of the Service Authority, said the water line relocation includes the replacement of two smaller lines with a larger one, meaning they can accommodate more capacity. It’s also cheaper for VDOT than replacing the lines, he said, so it is win-win.

At the water plant, the first phase of the expansion, from 4.6 million gallons a day to 6.6 million gallons, is half completed and expected to be finished in June. Work on the second phase of the expansion, to 12 million gallons per day, is to start this winter and be done by December 2012.

“The expanded capacity in the plant will ensure a safe, dependable supply of drinking water for continued commercial, industrial and residential growth in Washington County for at least the next 40 years,” said Cornett.

He added that the expansion, which also includes construction of a $4 million water storage tank, will more than double the county water system’s capacity, to accommodate growth along the Interstate 81 corridor and new connections from rural customers who don’t yet have access.

When Phase II is completed, the additional water will be piped to the site from the South Fork of the Holston River.

The first phase of the road project, a one-mile stretch to Watauga Road, was finished in 2006. Once the second phase, now under construction, is completed, two sections will remain in the plan to widen highway 58 from Abingdon to Damascus.

The third phase will widen the road from Lacy Drive to Rhea Valley Road, and phase four will bring it to the town limits of Damascus. Both projects have yet to receive funding for right-of-way acquisition and construction, Earl said, and the timeline will depend on when funding becomes available.

Earl said there are no current plans for two other big projects that lack funding: improvements to I-81’s Exit 17 and Exit 14. The estimated cost for the Exit 17 project is $146 million and, for Exit 14, $96 million, she said.

dmccown@bristolnews.com | (276) 791-0701