Making A Connection

Traffic waits at a light at Stone Spring Road and Reservoir Street, near the entrance to Rockingham Memorial Hospital. The final section of the Southeast Connector project will run from the intersection there to U.S. 33 at Boyers Road. (Photo by Michael Reilly / DN-R)

HARRISONBURG — Progress continues to be made on a major road project linking U.S. 33 west of Harrisonburg to U.S. 33 east of the city.

On Wednesday, the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors scheduled a public hearing for the proposed design of the last section of the southeast connector.

Supervisors also authorized staff to work out details of the $9.7 million contract under development with Southeast Connector LLC, which consists largely of Blackwell Engineering and A&J Excavation. While the base contract is for $9.7 million, several options could increase the cost.

Once the details have been ironed out, the board will consider a formal contract with Southeast Connector LLC at its December meeting, said Stephen King, deputy county administrator.

The meeting follows a public hearing on the design from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the County Administration Center on North Main and Gay streets in Harrisonburg.

Provided everything goes smoothly, contractors will break ground sometime in the spring and finish the project toward the end of 2014, King said.

The entire southeast connector is a public-private partnership involving the county, Harrisonburg and developers, including Rockingham Memorial Hospital.

RMH completed its section as part of an agreement to build its campus southeast of Harrisonburg off Port Republic Road, which opened in June 2010.

Other sections of the connector are already under way, including connecting South Main Street with South High Street in Harrisonburg.

The last piece picks up where RMH left off at the new intersection of Stone Spring Road at Reservoir Street. It will run from there to U.S. 33 near Boyers Road.

Contact Jeremy Hunt at 574-6273 or jhunt@dnronline.com