Roundabout coming to Boyd Station Road with subdivision
Motorists traveling along Boyd Station Road, from Virtue to Harvey Road, which starts at the railroad overpass, can expect to encounter a roundabout as developers improve the road as part of its completion of the subdivision fronting it.
Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved an infrastructure development agreement between Homestead Land Holdings, which is developing Boyd Station subdivision.
“A critical success factor in the Town’s strategic plan is ‘enhancing a high-quality and well-maintained community,” Town engineer Darryl Smith said. “This includes taking the opportunity to share costs with developers to improve roads to fully meet the standards required of our roadway network.
“Our intent is to widen Boyd Station Road from Willow Cove Way to McFee Road and include a roundabout on Boyd Station Road at the southern entrance of the Grove at Boyd Station Subdivision,” Smith added.
“Development of the Grove at Boyd Station requires that the developer improve their side of Boyd Station Road the full length of their property’s frontage, including pedestrian facilities. Currently, the road is 20 feet wide with no shoulders. The developer is responsible for widening the westbound lane from 10 feet wide to 11 feet; and in this case, will add curb and gutter and an 8-foot wide greenway along the north side.
This agreement “includes funding from the Town to widen the road an additional 3 feet on the north side to allow for two 11-foot lanes and a 2-foot paved shoulder on the south side of the road,” Smith said. “This plan requires no work on the south side, in Norfolk Southern Railroad’s right-of-way. The agreement also includes funding to design and build a roundabout at the southern entrance of the Grove, approximately 700 feet west of Willow Cove Way.
“The agreement includes provision that the Town will pay the developer $465,000 for its share of the road widening costs, $760,000 for construction of the roundabout and $73,000 for design of the roundabout,” he added. “Once the agreement is approved, the developer will negotiate actual costs with contractors.
“In the event the Town’s portion of roadway widening and/or roundabout costs exceed the amounts, the Town will have the option of paying the additional costs or allowing the developer to construct only those improvements they would otherwise be required to perform. Additionally, the Town will be required to purchase right -of-way and easements from the property just west of the Grove, as improvements will extend to McFee Road.”
Smith said the Town’s share of the cost is $465,000.
Russ Rackley, engineer/owner of Rackley Engineering, said the developer’s share is an estimated $400,000.
“This is very much like the one we did with the same developer on Virtue Road and Brookmere,” Smith said.
Alderman Drew Burnette asked about the structure of the roundabout, voicing concerns about the roundabout on McFee Road.
“It’s a very serious roundabout,” the Town engineer replied about the Boyd Station proposed roundabout.
However, “being a civil engineer for 25 years, you can never out-engineer idiocy,” Rackley said.
“The key to the roundabout … is to create a divergent on the approaching departure … you physically have to slow down to navigate the yield,” the company owner added.
Other matters
On another development matter, the Board approved a variance request to allow Rackley Engineering to install an access to a proposed subdivision fronting Boring Road across from a residence.
