Several months ago, business owners on Route 29 filed a lawsuit
against federal and state transportation officials challenging the
plan to build a grade separated interchange at Route 29 and Rio
Road. The plaintiffs claimed that defendants improperly
segmented a single construction project into three individual
projects in order to avoid the requirements of certain federal
environmental regulations. After holding an evidentiary hearing on
June 1, Judge Moon denied plaintiff's request for a preliminary
injunction. The ruling was based on a finding that plaintiffs
were not likely to succeed on the merits of their claim and a
balancing of the equities.
Judge Moon began his opinion with the observation that "[t]he
question of how to best address congestion on Route 29 in the
Charlottesville and Albemarle County areas has long been a source
of contention in the area"--quite an understatement!
Traffic on Route 29 has been a hot topic of debate since a
western bypass was first proposed 36 years ago in 1979.
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