SALEM – Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in conjunction with design-build contractor Branch Civil Inc. will hold a “Pardon Our Dust” public information meeting to discuss construction impacts and traffic management for the upcoming project to widen 7.4 miles of Route 58 over Lovers Leap Mountain in Patrick County.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 17 from 5 to 7 p.m., at Patrick Henry Community College located at 212 Wood Brothers Drive in Stuart.

There will be a brief presentation given at 5:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Representatives will answer questions and provide information about construction phasing and traffic impacts. 

The $300 million project will improve safety on the Lovers Leap portion of Route 58 by expanding the road from two lanes to four lanes starting 0.3 mile east of Route 610 (Cloudbreak Road) and extending to 0.7 mile north of Stuart.  Construction is expected to begin in fall 2021 with completion in late spring 2026.

For more information about the project, visit https://www.virginiadot.org/route58loversleap.

The Lovers Leap project will be the fourth section of Route 58 widening between Hillsville and Stuart completed under a Public-Private Transportation Act agreement with Branch Civil Inc. Previous widening phases include the 2.7-mile bypass at Meadows of Dan completed in 2006, the 5.2-mile bypass at Hillsville completed in 2011 and the 8.2-mile Tri-County and Laurel Fork section completed in 2016.

The agreement is in accordance with the Public-Private Transportation Act (PPTA), which was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly in 1995 to allow private entities to propose innovative solutions for designing, constructing and financing transportation projects.

Anyone requiring special assistance to attend and participate in this meeting may contact VDOT’s Civil Rights Office at 540-387-5552, 800-367-7623 or TTY/TDD 711.