Northampton Seeks Lower-Cost Solution for Parallel Road Access

Northampton County officials are continuing efforts to develop a safer access road for residents along Parallel Road while exploring ways to significantly reduce construction costs.

During his report to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday night, County Administrator Matt Spuck said a survey of the area has been completed and that he has scheduled an Aug. 4 meeting VDOT and Canonie to review the results and discuss alternatives.

Spuck said the original concept presented by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) carried an estimated construction cost of between $4 million and $6 million for a road serving roughly a dozen homes.

“That number just doesn’t make any sense,” Spuck told the board.

Instead, the county is asking engineers to evaluate whether the project could be built as a rural rustic road, a VDOT design standard that reduces costs by eliminating features such as curbs, gutters and full subdivision-style construction.

Spuck said he has also suggested using tar-and-chip pavement, a common treatment on many rural Virginia roads, as another way to reduce costs.

The county is also investigating whether VDOT safety funding could help pay for the project because a new access road would eliminate the need for residents to park along U.S. Route 13 and cross the railroad right of way to reach their homes.

In addition, Spuck said county officials are speaking with representatives of the Eastern Shore Rail Trail to determine whether engineering work already planned for the trail could also address stormwater issues near Parallel Road, potentially lowering project costs even further.

“The ultimate goal,” Spuck said, “is that folks stop parking on Route 13 and cutting across the right-of-way.”

He added that county officials are also exploring whether the road could be designed to meet residents’ needs without becoming a county-maintained roadway.

Spuck said discussions with engineers are ongoing and he expects a more detailed conversation after the Aug. 4 meeting.