JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. — One by one, trees are coming down on Longhill Road in James City County, and neighbors have strong feelings about it.
It's all part of VDOT's Longhill Road Widening project. VDOT plans to widen the road in three phases.
The first phase would widen the road from two lanes to four lanes, from 465 feet east of Williamsburg West Drive to 1,082 feet west of the Olde Towne Road/Devon Road intersection. A 10-foot shared-use path along the north side of the roadway will also be included.
Dawn Ridgway lives in Ford's Colony and drives Longhill Road daily.
“I noticed it gradually happening,” Ridgway said. “It makes me feel sad to see all the trees gone.”
Ridgway agreed that widening the roads is long overdue, but not like this.
“I know our roads are getting busier and I'm part of the problem because I moved here but I wish they would have done it without taking the trees,” Ridgway said.
Crews are removing trees as part of the utility relocation phase of the project. The easements are being cleared to allow for the relocation of utilities to these locations to start construction on the widening project this summer.
VDOT said more clearing will also be taking place once construction begins to allow for the widening of the roadway.
Longhill Road's widening is intended to ultimately relieve congestion and improve safety, which has been a concern and problem throughout the years.
“When people get out of work, it's busy,” Michael Plaxa said.
The project is a result of a study completed in 2014. According to the DMV's Traffic Records Electronic Data System, there have been more than 70 crashes on just the first stretch of Longhill Road since 2014.
VDOT hopes to widen the entire road to Centerville Road within the next 15 years.
Ridgway said eventually, there won't be any greener space where she lives.
“People don't want to fight traffic, but we don't want to see our community de-beautified by taking the trees away,” Ridgway said.
You can read more about the project here.