Cosby Mill Road in New Kent reopened to vehicle traffic

Cosby Mill Road, an important highway link in New Kent County’s western end, reopened to vehicle traffic early this afternoon (Friday) following completion of a project to replace a series of culverts.

The road has been closed to traffic since Nov. 11 to allow for the $300,000 project to take place. The site of the project is where Black Creek flows under the pavement and where the roadway often floods after heavy rain, especially when the culverts become blocked.

“The road is now open, but we still have to pave the area,” VDOT representative Chris Baker said today, adding that paving work is being delayed until the weather warms.

Guardrail must also be installed in the project area, he said. That work is expected to take place next week, he added.

Reopening comes much to the relief of residents in the area who have been forced to take an eight-mile detour. More than 30 residents attended a Nov. 25 community meeting to express frustration over the situation.

School officials had to adjust three bus routes resulting in some students being picked up earlier in the morning and dropped off later in the afternoon. County fire officials, meanwhile, worked out agreements with neighboring Henrico and Hanover counties to assist in case of a fire or emergency in the area cut off by the project.

Work primarily involved removing three 48-inch wide corrugated metal pipes and replacing the badly deteriorated pipes with three 54-inch wide pipes made of reinforced concrete.

“What’s being put there is a 100-year structure; I can guarantee that,” VDOT representative Marshall Winn told the crowd at the Nov. 25 community meeting.

The new culvert system is expected to alleviate flooding that occurred in the past, making the road impassable. VDOT officials have vowed to conduct frequent inspections to ensure logs and other debris do not block the culvert.

Work to install new culverts, conducted by Howard Brothers Construction, has been finished well ahead of an April completion date appearing in the company’s contract with VDOT.