DOT to handle Route 7 engineering and install 'your speed' signs, town officials say

Committee members reported that DOT will take on engineering and installation of 'your speed' signs as part of the Route 7 project, a change officials said will avoid roughly six figures in local spending after bids on a town RFP came back much higher than expected. "The project for Route 7 should be awarded by January, and the construction should start in the spring," one committee speaker said.

Officials described earlier bids that approached $200,000 (one VA-area low bid cited at $229,000) and said DOT's offer to handle engineering and installation should keep the town's outlay limited to purchasing the signs themselves. The committee discussed whether any leftover local funds could be redeployed for other town speed signs and asked staff to follow up with DOT and return with details on timeline and cost implications.