VDOT resident engineer outlines bridge work, resurfacing, standing‑water concerns and how to report maintenance

At the July 14 New Kent County Board meeting, VDOT’s new resident engineer, Philip Frazier, reintroduced himself and asked the board for direction on the content and cadence of future maintenance reports.

Frazier told supervisors that temporary signals were installed at Route 106 at the Emmaus Church bridge over I‑64 to allow phased replacement of the bridge, and the new alternating single-lane traffic pattern was expected to be unbagged this week. “They’re gonna replace that bridge one side at a time, so you’ll only be able to maintain a single lane of traffic at any given point,” he said. He later said the signal will likely remain for the bridge replacement and the larger I‑64 widening work through the area, with final completion expected in 2027.

Frazier noted an unusually wet period has caused a high water table and increased standing water across the county. He encouraged residents to report maintenance and traffic problems through the VDOT hotline, 1‑804‑ROAD, and to include contact information so the county’s customer service center in Salem can route requests and issue status updates. He described an HMMS portal the department uses to track work orders and said staff can mark items closed or in hold status and send updates to valid email addresses.

Supervisor (Mr.) Moyer and other board members asked for schedules for specific resurfacing projects. Frazier said Egypt Road is slated for plant‑mix asphalt paving as a second phase, with earlier shoulder widening and chip sealing already complete, and that contractors will wait for loose stone to wear down before applying center‑line pavement markings. He also said Olivet Church road resurfacing appears substantially complete, though contractors may need to return for vacuum sweeping where loose material remains.

Board members and residents raised ditch‑maintenance questions; Frazier said VDOT is responsible for maintaining roadside ditches but noted subdivisions often expect homeowners to maintain some roadside mowing and that leaves or yard debris placed in ditches are the property owner’s responsibility. He invited supervisors to forward specific addresses for severe cases so his office can follow up.

Frazier said he is open to adjusting the maintenance presentation schedule to provide more substantive briefings on topics such as resurfacing treatments, SmartScale project support, and winter operations.