Secondary Road Improvements-Byrds Mill Road Restoration

Bryds Mill Pond is located in one of the most beautiful parts of the Commonwealth in the Bowling Green District near the community of Passing, adjacent to valuable business property once the site of Remuda Ranch. In 2011 a combination of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee took out the old dam which was a part of Passing Road. Due to murky regulations regarding the repair of old dams which provide road beds to the state maintained highway system, owner Walton Mahon contacted Jeff Sili. In researching the problem, Sili went to view the damage and said, “As an engineer I can see the solution to the problem should be fairly straightforward and I don’t think we really need reams of red tape here. The solution is simple and could be permitted through Caroline Building and Planning.”

On Feb 22 , 2012, County Planning deemed the project “Emergency Repair” in order to rebuild and stabilize the roadway with minimal disturbance to any new or surrounding land. Whittaker Construction was able to remove the old materials from the pre-1930 structure and replace the dam, preparing the area to be paved by VDOT. Both Delegate Margaret Ransone and Senator Ryan McDougle helped to expedite the last phase, the final finished product by VDOT.

Completed in the Spring of 2012, the road is a great example of the ability of local government officials to work with agencies to accomplish a goal that is positive for residents and businesses alike.

More Secondary Road Improvement-The Sparta Road Bridge

Near the community of Central Point in September of 2011, Tropical Storm Lee destroyed the bridge connecting far eastern Caroline with the Sparta area and beyond. Folks living at the lower end of Sparta Road and some of those that interconnect like Jeter and Passing Road were forced to go as much as 12 miles around to reach their homes. Travelers from Essex and King and Queen were in the same situation coming into Caroline. Floods had undermined the old structure of the bridge, driving water under the pipes and lifted them up destroying the foundation. Initially there were plans to build a temporary bridge, but Sili, in discussion with VDOT, realized that heavy farm trucks during harvest season passing over the bridge would not be safely supported by such a structure. Discovering that the bridge did not need a lengthy redesign plan, Jeff was able to get an emergency construction agreement working with District VDOT Engineer, Jake Porter to have the bridge rebuilt. The brand new bridge opened in December 2011, three months early.