One of the most important parts of state government to Powhatan County is the Virginia Department of transportation. Our county supervisors work with VDOT through the ten-year comprehensive plan’s section on roads as well as through a six-year plan that is frequently updated and changed.

The six-year plan is a secondary road master plan covering proposed repavings, widenings and straightenings. It is dependent upon the amount of county money that can be allocated to it. The plan at present has approximately 40 projects proposed over the next six years.

The plan is changed by the supervisors as more or less money becomes available and as traffic patterns change in the county. Unexpected deterioration of the roadways can also cause changes. Usually these changes are on an exchange basis. That is, one road gets moved up in the plan while another gets moved down.

VDOT is responsible for 308 miles of roadway I Powhatan County – 50 miles of paved primary roads (those numbered under 600), more than 230 miles of paved and 25 miles of unpaved secondary roads (those numbered over 600). This does not include those roads marked as private (which are unnumbered), but it dies include Route 711, a scenic byway. The private roads are not the responsibility of VDOT.

The work is done be a crew of 17 including the superintendent, who operate eight dump trucks (each can be equipped with a snow blade and a salt/sand spreader), one tandem truck, three pickup trucks, one crash truck, one motor grader and one front-end loader. In addition, there are three tractors with mowers assigned to the unit, plus additional mowers are leased as needed.

The equipment is kept at the yard on Old Buckingham Road at the corner of Mann Street, near the high school. The crash truck is the truck with a large collapsible bumper on the back that is used to protect the workers when they are working on the highway.

Duties consist of all road maintenance in the county including road paving, scraping unpaved gravel roads, scraping shoulders, paving repairs due to potholes or breakups, repairing paving settlements, mowing, litter removal, drainage ditches, clearing sight distances, grass and brush cutting, line painting, wildflower beds, snow removal, ice control, removal of downed trees, tree trimming, removal of dead farm animals from rights of way, placing and maintaining traffic control signs, ordering name signs for streets, aiding in traffic control at accident scenes, cleaning glass and debris at accidents, and hazardous material work at accidents.

VDOT is also responsible for traffic lights and acceleration/ deceleration lanes.

If a citizen calls 674-2800 for assistance on any routine work listed above, a Citizen Work Order (CWO) is prepared and sent via e-mail to the area headquarters for handling. When the work is completed, the CWO is returned to the Chesterfield Residency, which covers both Chesterfield and Powhatan counties. It is logged into the computer as completed and records may be drawn showing frequencies by types, locations and response times. These are used for preventive maintenance and/or selection of roads for repaving schedules.

CWO’s cover anything from downed trees, dead animals, tall grass and weeds, potholes, etc. to suspected violations by drivers and other citizens. Some of these come as a result of people not being familiar with the narrowness of some of the rights of way in the area.

VDOT has an Adopt-a –highway program wherein interested citizens, clubs or organizations may call 1-800-PRIDE VA (774-3382) for permission to provide quarterly roadside litter removal for any road or highway not already assigned. The minimum is two miles if the road is at least that long. Signs showing the name of the volunteers, reflective vests and the plastic bags for collection purposes are provided.

This year is the 11^th anniversary of Virginia’s Adopt-a-Highway program. Virginia’s is the largest such program in the nation. In Powhatan, 138 miles of the 308 miles of roadway have been adopted as of April 15, 1999. This program, coupled with the county-wide cleanup program, helps to keep our roadsides clean.

Throwing litter from a vehicle is now classed as a Class 1 misdemeanor and is punishable with up to a $2,5000 fine and/or up to one year in prison.. This goes against the drier of the vehicle if the guilty party is not discernible.

Normal business work hours are Monday thru Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., call 674-2800 or 1-800344-0037. At other times call your local police department. There is also a statewide number for VDOT that is manned 24 hours everyday, which is 1-800-367-ROAD (7623)