The $64 Million Intersection

Wyatt Gordon reports on transportation planning efforts from Chesterfield County in Virginia, which stands as a counterpoint of car-centric priorities compared to the recent public transit successes of the neighboring city of Richmond.

"Over the next decade Chesterfield plans to transform at least six of its widest junctions into so-called 'superstreets,' multi-lane behemoths that shift the flow of traffic from perpendicular designs to 15-lane-wide, swooping intersections," writes Gordon.

One of those junctions planned for the superstreet treatment also sets a lofty standard for expense, pricing out an estimated $64 million, which has some in the state questioning the wisdom of this kind of road engineering.

The relationship between Richmond and Chesterfield County is more than just a question of proximity: Both own half of the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC), and the price tag for one $64 million intersection outpaces the entire region's spending on the GRTC, reports Gordon.