As the U.S. 58 Lover’s Leap expansion project nears completion, a new project to widen 4.5 miles of Route 58 in the Vesta area is preparing to begin.
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Communications Manager Jason Bond said the U.S. 58 expansion project is 70 percent complete.
“At this point, all of what we would call the deep drainage has been completed. Those are the pipes that are beneath the road—sometimes deep, deep beneath the road—so all of the drainage pipes beneath the road have been put in,” he said.
Approximately 7 million cubic yards of the estimated 9 million cubic yards of excavation has been completed.
“The blasting that has been impacting traffic is expected to wrap up late summer. Drivers can expect throughout the remainder of the project from late summer on, there will be traffic switches, traffic shifts, as traffic will be put on new sections of the roadway as they continue to work,” he said.
Bond said the contractor’s current schedule shows the project won’t be completed until fall 2026.
“They’ve got time, and they’re trying to make up some time between now and then to get the project back (on track) this summer, so they’ve got another year plus. They’re still working toward trying to make up some time to keep it on track for summer, but right now they’re showing fall,” he said.
According to a February release, the Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded a design-build contract to Triton Construction Inc. worth approximately $165 million for the 4.5-mile widening project.
The project will begin near the U.S. 58 Business eastern intersection in Meadows of Dan and end about 0.5 miles east of Virginia 610, or Cloudbreak Road.
“In addition to widening Route 58 from two lanes to four lanes, the project includes replacing the existing bridge over the Dan River with two new bridges. The Vesta project adjoins the Lover’s Leap widening project that is currently under construction,” the release stated.
Bond said Triton Construction has started taking soil samples and gathering additional data to work on the road design.
“They have not finished the design, and they won’t have a public meeting probably until sometime early next year to talk about their plan to execute the work and the people that would be impacted by it,” he said.
Residents may notice temporary access roads and brush cutting.
