Climbing costs hit Deltaville Shared Use Path plan

The Deltaville Shared Use Path project between the county and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has hit yet another snag as increased costs have supervisors requesting additional funds and for a time extension.

At their April 2 meeting, supervisors agreed to write a letter to Ana Kapitan of VDOT requesting both additional funding and a time extension on the Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) locally administered project being developed by VDOT on the county’s behalf.

The letter states that the cost increase on the Deltaville project is due to several factors, the first and most significant is that the initial funding requested in the application was below the threshold for a project with this scope. “That was mainly due to assumptions that were, in hindsight, incorrect,” the letter stated.

“Additionally, the cost for construction increased during the pandemic, which was and continues to be unexpected,” it states.

The county has delayed a proposed Urbanna/Bethpage Campground shared use path project on Old Virginia Street. Supervisors are requesting the maximum allocation on the Deltaville project from TAP of $2.5 million. It is understood and agreed that the 20% required match amount will be funded with local funds.

Supervisors are concerned about just how much the project will cost beyond the $2.5 million, which must come from a local share in some manner — either from taxpayer dollars or grants.