Goochland crews start adding another lane to Ashland Road, I-64 westbound ramp

GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Construction crews are working to alleviate traffic congestion on Ashland Road as business developments arrive, and it comes off the heels of Manakin Sabot residents sharing their concerns with 8News about high-tech projects impacting travel.

Goochland officials say Amazon is footing the bill for the work county crews are doing to add a new lane to the I-64 westbound entrance ramp off Ashland Road. The county government is confident this will help drivers by cutting back on congestion.

The new lane project is one small piece of the larger Rockville Opportunity Corridor puzzle. It's a group of road projects designed to accommodate growing traffic demands for businesses coming into the area -- meaning people can expect to see crews adding new traffic lights, road entrances and turn lanes between now and 2029.

It could address some of the concerns 8News has reported from residents about how big businesses -- including potential data centers the county is trying to court -- will affect mostly rural Goochland.

"I think there's some question about even the roads they would like to use with the heavy equipment, and data centers require constant heavy equipment delivery through the life of them. So, you know, the impact of the roads is really a concern," said Manakin Sabot resident Nancy Prue on Monday, Sept. 8.

Just up the road from the new traffic project, a 3 million-square-foot Amazon robotics fulfillment center is also under construction.

"When the Amazon facility was built there, at the bottom of Ashland Road, everybody was told how wonderful the revenues were. Nobody was talking about the road -- Ashland itself -- which is two lanes with a double yellow line," said Manakin Sabot resident Lisa Sykes.

Goochland government leaders said these projects are designed to help with traffic flow and ultimately keeping the county working for everyone.

The new interstate entrance lane is expected to be done by the end of September with many more projects on the way. However, according to our past reporting, county economic officers insist the quiet, small-town feel of Goochland is not going away.