From: <epes1@mindspring.com>
To: <%20JohnRButcher@attbi.com%20>; Pyle, Charles <cpyle@gowebway.com>
Cc: Pfohl, Tim <TPfohl@dhcd.state.va.us>
Subject: Re: Fw: Laburnum Avenue
Date: Thursday, July 29, 1999 10:14 PM

Gentlemen:
VDOT tells me Henrico County is indeed planning to widen Laburnum from 4 to 6 lanes from Carolina Ave. east to the city limits. Widening most probably will extend to North Avenue, which actually is 300-400 yards inside city line and is the first intersection one comes to, making it a practical spot to terminate the widening. Henrico apparently has been planning this for past 4-5 years, but the racetrack developments may serve to underscore perceived need for it. At this point, VDOT is aware of no plan to extend the widening any further into the city (i.e., thru Ginter Park and Bellevue), and city public works dept. confirms there is no plan and no money, and probable opposition from neighborhoods. A Mr. Kara with city public works said he has meeting next week with Henrico officials at which he will tell the county the city thinks the Laburnum project may cause more problems (raceday/rush hour backups on Henrico's end of westbound Laburnum because 6 lanes will narrow to 4, and added race traffic to Richmond's stretch of Laburnum when even more folks try to leave racetrack westbound on Laburnum because they see nice 6-lane road to do it). But Kara concedes city can't stop Henrico from doing this and can only encourage the county to widen other racetrack access roads, such as Carolina Ave. and Richmond-Henrico Turnpike (which county is already planning to do for racetrack expansion). Should city agree to widen the 300-400 yard stretch of Laburnum from city limits to North Ave., Kara says it would require presentations to Northside Neighborhood Teams meetings, to the planning commission and an ordinance adopted by a city council. In short, plenty of opportunities for resident input. He also concedes that should Henrico complete its widening project (with or without city's doing the stretch to North Ave.), future complaints about gridlocked conditions on racedays/other times because of the narrowing of the road as it comes into Richmond could cause everyone to re-examine the issues and force Richmond to consider widening its portion of Laburnum. We'll see. In any event, at the very least we need to be sure folks like Bill Johnson, Tim Kaine and Viola Baskerville oppose Laburnum widening in Richmond, and perhaps also oppose widening of the Henrico stretch from Carolina, as wrongheaded approach to alleviating traffic congestion spawned by racetrack events. Widening only will encourage more traffic to come from a crowded, noisy Henrico event into our quiet neighborhood. Instead, the county ought to be trying to direct racetrack traffic out of town on county streets -- Carolina, Rich-Henrico Tnpk, east Laburnum. Kara and VDOT suggested we might want to suggest this and generate bunch of calls to Anchor Madison, Henrico public works, 501-4244. Chuck

-----Original Message-----
From: %20JohnRButcher@attbi.com%20 <%20JohnRButcher@attbi.com%20>
To: Epes (at home) <epes1@mindspring.com>; Pyle, Charles
<cpyle@gowebway.com>
Cc: Pfohl, Tim <TPfohl@dhcd.state.va.us>
Date: Thursday, July 29, 1999 1:49 AM
Subject: Fw: Fw: Laburnum Avenue

>fyi
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: TIM PFOHL <TPFOHL@dhcd.state.va.us>
>To: <%20JohnRButcher@attbi.com%20>; <epes1@mindspring.com>
>Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 10:37 AM
>Subject: Re: Fw: Laburnum Avenue
>
>
>Yikes, it does sound ludicrous, but according to today's paper, VDOT
already
>has plans to expand Laburnum to 6 lanes near the track, but it doesn't
>specify how far that will reach west. We need to get Viola or Butcher the
>FOI Fiend to get us a copy of that VDOT plan and see how far it goes. The
>good news is that the Ginter Park historic district will trigger a section
>106 historic preservation review process, assuming some federal highway
>funds are involved, but that rarely slows down VDOT.
>
>I can't believe they'd take out a median that improves safety all year by
>separating traffic (not to mention the aesthetic and environmental effects
>of the trees and grass), to move more cars two days a year. We should also
>fight removal of the median based on the fact it makes it easier for
>schoolkids crossing Laburnum to the Holton Elementary by giving them a
>halfway stopping point.
>
>I don't trust the City to back us up on this, so we need to be proactive.
 >They may support it, thinking it will make it easier for buses to get in
and
>out of Holton.
>
>Tim
>
>>>> <%20JohnRButcher@attbi.com%20> 07/26 6:36 PM >>>
>fyi
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Charles Pyle
>To: %20JohnRButcher@attbi.com%20
>Sent: Monday, July 26, 1999 9:37 PM
>Subject: Laburnum Avenue
>
>
>John:
>
>Have you heard a rumor about RIR (which is buying the fairgrounds) pushing
>to have the median on Laburnum Ave. pulled up between I-64 and the
>fairgrounds?
>It sounds crazy, but apparently this rumor has factored into sales of homes
>on Laburnum.
>
>Charles Pyle

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