The transportation system in Glasgow consists of roads and rail facilities. Using the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) classification system, Glasgow has only one major roadway, Route 130, known as Rockbridge Road within the town limits. This highway runs east and west through town connecting with Natural Bridge Station and then with Route 11 and Interstate 81 to the west and Route 501 (connecting to Buena Vista) to the east.
Both Norfolk and Southern and CSX have rail facilities in Glasgow, and a spur track allows for the transfer from one system to the other and for direct rail service to Lee’s Carpets. Both rail lines carry freight through systems that connect with the eastern seaboard of the United States. Passenger rail service is not available in Town or in the County. The nearest passenger service, provided by Amtrak is in Lynchburg or Roanoke.
VDOT maintains one of the largest road transportation systems in the nation. The 57,082-mile state-maintained system is divided into the following categories:
Interstate - 1,118 miles of four-to-ten lane highways that connect states and major cities.
Primary - 8,050 miles of two-to-six-lane roads that connect cities and towns with each other and with interstates.
Secondary - 47,582 miles of local connector or county roads. These generally are numbered 600 and above. Arlington and Henrico counties maintain their own county roads.
Frontage - 333 miles of frontage roads.
A separate system includes 10,362 miles of urban streets, maintained by cities and towns with the help of state funds. Virginia's cities are independent of its counties.
Henrico County (1,251 miles) and Arlington County (359 miles) maintain their own roads with VDOT funds. There is an additional 39 miles of toll roads maintained by others.
VDOT' s annual budget for Fiscal Year 2005-2006 is $3.8 billion. About 29 percent of allocations go to highway systems construction, 37 percent go to roadway maintenance, and the rest go to debt service, operations, payments to other agencies, administration, special financing and earmarks.
Following public hearings and receiving input from each of their operational divisions, the Commonwealth Transportation develops a six-year plan for road improvements. This plan covers major road work such as new highways, new bridges, new interchanges and the like. Included in the current six year plan is the replacement of the bridge on Route 130 that crosses the Maury River in Glasgow. According to the plan, the current bridge, which is significantly deteriorated, should be replaced by the end of 2009 (construction to begin in 2008).
Within the town of Glasgow VDOT maintains approximately 9 miles of two lane roadways. The Town maintains (approximately) and additional 1.5 miles of road. In 2005, the Town upgraded two roads and a portion of another so they can be included in the State system. Plans for secondary road improvements (roads with numbers greater than 600) in Rockbridge County are prepared by VDOT’s resident engineer and reflect a six year improvement plan. These plans are updated every two years and submitted to the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors for their approval. The Town can offer input into the priorities for roads within the Town to the Board during this process.
The table below shows the Annual Average Daily Traffic Volumes on Roads in Glasgow in reported in 1977 and 2004. Looking at this data it appears that the road in Town have the capacity to handle the current traffic volume. VDOT standards indicate that a highway such as Route 130 are designed to hand a volume of 1,000 vehicles per hour.
According to VDOT’s traffic data, of the 3400 vehicles per day (average) that use Route 130, 94% are four tire vehicles. 1% are busses, 1% are 2 axle trucks, 1% are 3+ axle trucks, and 3% are truck-trailer vehicles.
