Gloucester residents, county staff and the Virginia Department of Transportation have come together to find ways to improve the aesthetics of Route 17 as motorists enter the county from the George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge at Gloucester Point.
The county’s board of supervisors was presented a number of options for improving the county’s entranceway during its May 21 meeting in the colonial courthouse.
Ideas for improvement range from a welcome sign under the beam of the toll tender structure atop the Coleman Bridge to welcome banners being placed along Route 17. There was also an idea for plantings and/or signs to be placed along the small and larger traffic islands at the turnaround adjacent to the toll plaza, an idea which seemed to gain the most traction with the board.
“Board members have voiced displeasure with the lack of landscaping and signage, the condition of the concrete medians and the overall lack of appeal of the gateway,” said Gloucester assistant county administrator Carol Steele.
Steele said she met with VDOT officials and planning and zoning staff to discuss possible options. She also obtained information on the capital and maintenance expenses from the Main Street Preservation Trust for the improvements they made at the intersection of Main Street and Route 17.
According to Steele, other ideas for improvement include various options for the stamped concrete medians that are currently in place. She said portions of the median could be removed and backfilled with low plantings; or even the application of a different stamped concrete pattern that would be more aesthetically pleasing.
Steele also said the outdated civic sign adjacent to Tyndall’s Point Park could be removed and replaced with a more aesthetically pleasing modern, civic sign. Funding for this could be partially covered by sponsorship fees, she said.
According to Steele, preliminary budget estimates for design range from $20,000 to $40,000. Some of the projects, she said, could take advantage of volunteer labor, such as plantings at several intersections.
The estimated cost for the improvements at the turnaround traffic islands and buffer she said could range from $10,000 to $30,000, while street banners would cost anywhere between $20,000 and $30,000. A sign for the bridge is estimated to cost $500 for printing and design and $5,000 for installation. Steele showed examples similar to this along the entryways to Daytona Beach, Florida, and Michigan City, Indiana.
More costly improvements would include jersey wall improvements at $5 per square foot for stamp concrete.
“I think the turnaround would be the best location for something like this to occur,” said at-large supervisor Ashley Chriscoe. “It would be easier because there would be little traffic impact.”
Chriscoe said he didn’t want to see anything done with the stamped concrete around the toll plaza. “Hopefully, sometime, that’ll be taken down,” he said.
He suggested for Steele to come up with a firm figure for the turnaround and present that during budget deliberations next year. “I think you can probably come up with a pretty good figure between now and then,” Chriscoe said.
Abingdon district supervisor Robert “JJ” Orth was excited about the possible improvements. “There are a lot of neat things about this county that can be emphasize through this,” Orth said.
Commercial district
The board also adopted a resolution of support for an application for Commercial District Affiliate Status for a group of residents and business owners at Gloucester Point to help support and grow the Gloucester Point Village District.
The informal coalition, called, “GET TO THE POINT!” was established to help push strategic and thoughtful development, as well as business support and growth, similar to what has been done with Gloucester Main Street.
The application for Commercial District Affiliate Status, if approved, would open the door for access to revitalization resources provided by the state through the Department of Housing and Community Development. Some of those benefits would include training for business owners, support in setting a strategic direction for the commercial district, grants, etc. It would also connect public and private entities for growth, revitalization and development at Gloucester Point.