Parham Road improvements may cause delays - NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News

Drivers may see a few more brake lights on Parham Road. Improvements will begin between Three Chopt road and Interstate 64 very soon.

The updates will impact tens of thousands of people who take the road every day.

Eddie Gomez drives up and down Parham Road twice a day for work. Crews will be pounding the pavement next week.

"I think it's definitely good for progress, but at the same time, the schedule and inconvenience to commute on a daily basis is going to be affected," said Gomez.

A one-mile stretch of Parham Road, between Three Chopt and I-64, will close periodically starting next Monday. The county will upgrade curbs and gutters to help prevent flooding, extend turn lanes and widen some side streets that intersect with Parham, and replace concrete medians with grass.

The medians haven't been fixed in decades, according to Public Works Director, Steve Yob. He says the work will take place Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. - avoiding the evening rush hour, but will still cause people to step on the breaks.

"There will be several crews - some doing asphalt work, concrete, and some placing top soil and grass in the medians," said Yob. "So there could be several closures along this stretch."

The partial closures will last about nine months, so Gomez will make a point to allow himself some extra time on his commute to work.

"That is definitely going to be an inconvenience," Gomez added. "One year is a long period of time for construction. I hope businesses aren't going to be affected."

The $2 million project will start Monday, October 1 and last until the summer of 2013. The director of public works says funding, which is part of the 2013 budget, will come from tax dollars spend on gasoline.

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