Summary

City Council unanimously approved a contract award to Imperio Construction, LLC, to begin construction of traffic calming devices in the Greenway Downs neighborhood. The design calls for bump outs and crosswalks at five intersections and 15 new speedhumps.

$1.1 million has been budgeted for this project, funded by a grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

This project follows the guidelines established in the Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) handbook where residents were asked to vote on the speedhumps, and a majority voted for them.

Background

The Greenway Downs Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) project was initiated at the request of some residents in the Greenway Downs area that includes Seaton Lane, W Rosemay Lane, Jackson Street, W Marshall Street, W George Mason Road, W Greenway Boulevard, and W Cameron Road. This project was undertaken through the City’s NTC Program in spring 2023 and followed the guidelines laid out in the NTC Handbook, which required a neighborhood vote.

In 2024, staff at the Department of Public Works (DPW) worked with consultants and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to develop the plans for speedhumps, bump outs, and sidewalk improvements. The final plans were approved by VDOT in March 2025.

DPW received four bids from contractors for the work and selected Imperio Construction, LLC, which offered the lowest bid. At the August 4 and 11, 2025, City Council meetings, staff requested authorization from the City Council to award the construction contract so that work can begin in Fall 2025. Construction is anticipated to last 6 months. The contract authorization was unanimously approved.

The Greenway Downs NTC Plan

The plan shows 15 new speedhumps, in addition to the two existing ones on W Marshall Street. There will be new bump outs at four intersections on Seaton Lane and one on Timber Lane, marked A to E. These intersections will also include one or two painted crosswalks. Two intersections, F and G, on S Washington Street will be delayed until more funding is available.

Map showing the location of speedhumps and bump outs for the Greenway Downs neighborhood. — Map showing location of speedhumps and bump outs. Source: City webpage, with modifications for clarity.

Funding and costs

According to the staff report, $1.1 million has been budgeted for this project, and it is being funded by a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant, administered by VDOT. The Imperio Construction bid was $504,309.

Furthermore, federal grant funds will be used to contract for construction, engineering, and inspection services. Rinker Design Associates, one of DPW’s engineering consultants, has been selected for this role. The report did not include the cost for that contract.

How the neighborhood voting works

As an NTC project, a neighborhood vote is required with votes weighted according to rules specified in the NTC Handbook. The vote in this project was limited to the speedhumps and did not include the bump outs.

Ballots were sent to addresses in the Greenway Downs study area, corner properties received two ballots, one for each street. An online ballot was also available. Votes were tallied by street; streets were assessed independently to ascertain whether there was majority agreement on the proposed measures for that street.

Tabulation of NTC votes for Greenway Downs speedhumps. — Greenway Downs neighborhood vote results. Source: Staff report, June 7, 2023.

According to the handbook, each street must have over 50% participation. The decision was based on what the majority of respondents wanted. For example, on Seaton Lane, 28 out of 46 households responded for more than a 50% participation. Even though Seaton Lane received 20 “Yes” votes, just 43% of all properties, these respondents constituted 71.4% of those who voted and so amounted to consent for the speedhumps on Seaton Lane.