Exit 91 improvements a key now and when complete

The planned $43 million in improvements to the Exit 91 interchange of Interstate 64 in Fishersville presented one more reason for Mary Baldwin College to locate the college’s new graduate health sciences facility and program there.

The college acknowledges that a $43 million investment in infrastructure improvements to the area certainly helps in picking a site.

The Mary Baldwin site is on 30 acres off Goose Creek Road close to Augusta Health. The health sciences facility should be complete in time for the program’s fall 2014 opening.

Economic development officials from the area and region echo the importance of Exit 91.

“It was a piece of the puzzle without a doubt. Access is important to get people in and out,’’ said Augusta County Economic Development Director Dennis Burnett.

Robin Sullenberger, the CEO of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, said access to a site “is one of the critical components of site development.”

Sullenberger said the appeal of a quality development site is lessened if access is an issue.

Augusta County Supervisor Larry Wills said another factor will be Mary Baldwin health sciences students quickly accessing the interstate to perform clinical work at hospitals in Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and Lexington.

Wills anticipates that the Exit 91 upgrade will spur additional development along the Fishersville corridor feeding into it. He anticipates additional shopping and housing.

The project, which is targeted for a late 2015 completion, includes a new four-lane bridge over I-64 at Exit 91. The bridge will expand to six lanes with the bridge’s turn lanes.

Improvements to Route 285, Tinkling Spring Road, include an expansion to four lanes with turn lanes from Expo Road to just beyond Goose Creek Road.

Scott Alexander, the Exit 91 project manager for VDOT, said the project is in the procurement stage.

Alexander said VDOT has 15 statements of qualifications from potential design/build firms.

VDOT will narrow the field to three finalists. A detailed bid and proposal will be considered before the project is awarded in the fall.

Alexander said the advantage of a design/build project is that “it gets the project into the hands of the contractor faster.”

Another goal is to make the project more efficient and attract a more favorable bid.

At this point, Alexander anticipates the project should be complete by late 2015.