Planning is underway for a major road project in Lynchburg.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has received $30.5-million dollars to build a new interchange that will link Route 460 with an extension of Odd Fellows Road. The interchange will be constructed between Campbell Avenue and Candlers Mountain Road.
VDOT recently added the Odd Fellows Interchange project to its six year plan. Local lawmakers persuaded the governor to get funding for the project, because they believe it will address two important issues.
First, the new road will open up land for development. That's important, because there's very little undeveloped land left in Lynchburg.
The new interchange will also take traffic off Candlers Mountain Road, which is heavily used as a link between 460 and the Lynchburg Expressway.
"This opens up another option and it serves right into the heart of the industrial area off of Odd Fellows Road," said Rob Cary, Lynchburg District Administrator for VDOT. "Allowing access to 460 and over to the expressway will certainly enhance traffic patterns."
Once the new road is finished, city leaders expect restaurants, hotels, and other businesses to start popping up near the interchange. Land near the highway has also been mentioned as a possible sight for a new Lynchburg civic center.
Construction on the interchange is expected to start by the fall of 2013 and should be finished by 2015.
