By Heather Michon
Correspondent
Following a fatal collision in Dixie last month, the Board of Supervisors is asking VDOT to investigate safety improvements at one of the county’s most dangerous intersections.
A March 20 collision between a pickup truck and an emergency vehicle at Rt. 15 and Rt. 6 left a Henrico man dead and four others injured.
At its meeting on Wednesday night (April 2), supervisors told VDOT representative Willie Gordon that the intersection had seen multiple accidents and near-misses in recent years.
Gordon said the department could investigate some “alternative safety mechanisms” while searching for a long-term solution to the problems. A roundabout at the intersections could be installed, but that could take up to five years.
He said there was potential to install a temporary roundabout using barriers or other systems to improve drivers’ sightlines.
Along with the VDOT report, supervisors discussed real estate reassessments – not the ones just completed, but the next round coming in 2027 and 2029.
One option would be to conduct an administrative reassessment in 2027 and a full review two years later.
An administrative reassessment uses fair market values to adjust valuations. Appraisers do not visit each property or take updated photos.
These types of assessments meet all the legal requirements and can be considerably less expensive for the county, but can often result in under-valuations because they miss upgrades and improvements like new sheds or generators.
Some supervisors felt that an administrative assessment could be problematic. Widespread community anger over the most recent valuations could well be repeated in 2027. Still, as Mike Goad (Fork Union) pointed out, the county could not show residents that appraisers had physically evaluated their properties.
“I feel like that really makes it tough for us to answer for that,” he said.
County Administrator Eric Dahl said they would request proposals from multiple appraisal companies and get some hard figures for both full and administrative assessments.
