Springwood Rd extension around Fincastle re-surfaces after 20 years

An old idea gained new life at the Board of Supervisors meeting April 25, 2023, after the members approved a resolution supporting a Springwood Road Extension Project.

A bypass around the Town of Fincastle was discussed about 20 years ago. The Town of Fincastle has now asked that the project be placed on the county’s six-year-plan once more.

In 2005, county and town officials held meetings that indicated the proposed bypass would take traffic from US 220, beginning 0.24 miles north of the Fincastle Town Limits, to Rt. 630/Springwood Road, 0.13 miles southwest of the Rt. 681/Poor Farm Road intersection. The proposed bypass would have gone through three separate pieces of property in behind the elementary school. The Town of Fincastle had reserved rights of way on two of the properties.

The proposal would have taken traffic from Roanoke just beyond the town before routing them back to Springwood Road.

The potential bypass was placed on the six-year-plan for local roads in 2002, where it hung in limbo for several years, then dropped out of sight. The Town of Fincastle then worked with VDOT to realign the streets to their current configuration of one-way traffic in hopes of alleviating congestion and other issues.

In 2005, the traffic count indicated about 2,600 vehicles passed through the town daily. With new housing in the area, courthouse construction, and an increase in court cases, traffic counts likely have increased.

That same year, VDOT estimated that this new roadway would cost $3.9 million. New construction cost estimates need to be established. It is also possible that a different route for the bypass than the one previously reviewed may be considered.

                                                — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee