Saving Money on Safer Roads 

Exciting news for eastern Henrico County drivers! The Department of Public Works has taken on two projects to improve portions of Meadow and Turner roads! 

If you frequent this area, you may have noticed several narrow 2 lane roads without a double line in the center. This means that the roads in these areas are not 20 feet wide. Not for long! 

Instead of just repaving the road, Henrico County is using a process known as “full depth reclamation” (FDR). With this method, the existing pavement and underlying rock and dirt are ground up, mixed with water and cement, and used to create a new concrete base. This is a way to reuse the old asphalt and its base material to create a new roadway before its paved with asphalt. FDR saves resources and time as it corrects failing cross sections, provides a wider driving surface and increases the load-bearing capabilities of the road itself. This process causes little disruption to motorists. Traffic can be maintained throughout construction, and the work happens quickly. 

The cost-effective project to improve Turner and Meadow represent the first use of FDR in Henrico and one of a few such projects in the state. 

Because of this new and innovative process, crews can rebuild about 1 mile of road each day.  So far, Public Works has completed approximately 8.32 miles of new road, which equates to 24.14 lane miles. In the coming weeks, look for FDR projects to improve Gibbs Lane, Acton Street, Buckner Street and several other roads in the area!