Town seeks sidewalk progress

By Justin Faulconer

Published: August 6, 2008

Despite a bumpy start due to rising costs of fuel and concrete, the Amherst Town Council still is striving to find a firm to lengthen sidewalks on South Main Street.

A forthcoming multiphase project would extend sidewalks, which end along South Main Street, to the Ambriar Shopping Center. That would allow pedestrian access to Amherst County High School.

The town has entertained bids but has yet to hire a contractor, said Town Manager Jack Hobbs.

At its Aug. 13 meeting, the council is scheduled to receive an official recommendation on a route from the town’s utilities committee.

Seven bids from contractors have ranged from close to $448,000 to nearly $834,000. The town’s estimate was less than $400,000.

“The bottom line is all the bids were considerably more than the estimate,” said Councilman J. Paul Kilgore, a utilities committee member.

The cost difference, according to a report from Hobbs, is due to prices of concrete and asphalt and significant fuel price increases in recent months.

“Practically everything we’re dealing with is dictated by the price of fuel,” Kilgore said.

The main objective now is to focus on securing an affordable bid so construction can start, he said.

“We want to get rolling on it by the end of the year.”

Kilgore said the goal is to attract families with sidewalks that extend from one end of town to the other along Main Street.

Sidewalk extensions on North Main Street were done near the Amherst Cemetery a few years back, he said.

In the first phase of the South Main project, curbs and gutters would extend to Williams Creek Road, with the second phase reaching the high school and shopping center.

Design work on the second phase is underway, though no bids have been taken.

Sidewalks also have become a priority for the Amherst County Board of Supervisors. This year members set aside $50,000 and applied for matching funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation for sidewalk improvements in Madison Heights, said County Administrator Rodney Taylor.

The focus of improvements is on existing sidewalks from Dixie Airport Road to the McDonalds on U.S. 29 and to possible new ones for “critical areas” along that stretch, he said.

The upgrades include placing ramps into curbs Taylor called “curb cuts”, which he said would enable people in wheelchairs or motorized vehicles to use U.S. 29.

“It’s a safety issue for drivers and the individuals,” he said.