Current Status

RAISE Grant

The Three Notched Trail Master Plan is in progress!

"Albemarle County has selected Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) to lead the master planning process for the Three Notched Trail Shared-Use Path. The planning effort will begin in early 2025 and take approximately 22 months to complete. The consulting team has significant experience in shared-use path planning and design, including work on the Virginia Statewide Trails Plan. Their proposal was selected based on their technical expertise and approach to public engagement."

The above excerpt is taken from Albemarle County's formal announcement of the Three Notched Trail project. Note that construction of the trail will require additional funding.

- Background -

Albemarle County was awarded a RAISE grant in 2022 for just over $2 million to:

Conduct a feasibility study to identify potential alignments for the shared use path from the Blue Ridge Tunnel through Crozet to the City of Charlottesville.
Conduct public outreach to determine a preferred alignment.
Create construction documents of the preferred alignment.
Identify segments of the alignment that would have independent utility if constructed separately.

RAISE Grant Notes

Stakeholder and community meetings will be a significant part of the feasibility study's first year.
Initially 3 different routes will be drafted with one chosen for implementation.
Study includes identification of trail accesses, parking trailheads, and neighborhood connectivity.
Planning process will determine best route to impact fewest private properties.
Study funding does not include land acquisitions.

Following the completion of grant, Albemarle County staff will identify opportunities – not limited to Transportation Alternatives, Revenue Sharing, Smart Scale, and future rounds of RAISE – to fund construction of the shared use path segments until the entire distance between the Blue Ridge Tunnel and Charlottesville is completed.