McClellan presents $850K check to Chesterfield County officials to modernize I-95 and Willis Road interchange

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan delivered a check of $850,000 to the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday for the slated project to modernize the I-95 and Willis Road interchange.

The funding, part of the $10,000,000 secured for Community Project Funding in Virginia's Fourth.

Speaking at the check presentation in Chesterfield County on Tuesday, the Congresswoman spoke on the importance of updating a section of road that is over 70 years old.

"This section that was constructed in 1950, a lot has changed. A lot more traffic and it's just a safety issue"

According to Chesterfield County, funding for the project is coming from the Central Virginia Transportation Authority to design interchange improvements at I-95 and Willis Road. However, they stated that additional funding was needed for right-of-way acquisition and construction.

Previously, the project had been on hold in the preliminary engineering stage until funding was fully secured for the project. Design concepts for the project were last uploaded by the county in March of 2022.

However, this $850,000 will not fully fund the project, which the Congresswoman says will cost $125 million.

"This funding will specifically be used to improve the traffic lights, the sidewalks, and some of the areas. So it's a small piece of a much larger project," McClellan explained. "I am committed to working with the county to get as much federal funding as possible."

The other thirteen projects included in the funding that Congresswoman McClellan secured in March are:

• $1,092,000.00 for the Charles City County Sewer Collection System Modernization Project to upgrade wastewater treatment plants and pumping stations with state-of-the-art equipment and technologies, significantly reducing the risk of waterborne diseases and contaminants in local water systems.
• $1,000,000.00 for Virginia Commonwealth University Robotics and Autonomous Systems Research to aid VCU in conducting cutting-edge research in robotics and autonomous systems, working with aerial drones, autonomous vehicles, rehabilitation robots and the AI systems that control them.
• $850,000.00 for Stormwater Management within the Shockoe Valley & Shockoe Project to improve stormwater management through updated infrastructure and encourage economic and cultural development in the largest watershed in Richmond.
• $1,092,000.00 for a Henrico County White Oak Water System Extension to provide public water services to 143 properties that currently use potentially contaminated private well systems.
• $250,000.00 for Richmond Airport Passenger Terminal Apron Reconstruction to replace deteriorating pavement near the RIC passenger terminal to ensure aircraft and passenger safety and reduce high maintenance costs.
• $1,031,000.00 for the Virginia State University Center for Generative AI and Industrial Cybersecurityto enhance the university’s research capabilities, offering access to tailored AI models and advanced computing resources to students and faculty to assess challenges posed by generative AI and improve industrial cybersecurity.
• $1,092,000.00 for the Hopewell Heretick Avenue Stormwater Project to repair existing stormwater management infrastructure by expanding system capacity for public and private properties, reducing erosion and water contamination, and improving the long-term resilience of the surrounding neighborhood.
• $800,000.00 for a Prince George County Beechwood Manor Asbestos Pipe Replacement to modernize Prince George County’s community water system by replacing four miles of asbestos cement waterlines, originally installed in the mid-1970s and now in poor condition that will reduce the risk of breaks, service interruptions and declining water quality, ensure safer, more reliable drinking water for residents, protect public health and improve the long-term resilience of the county’s municipally owned and operated water system.
• $1,092,000 for City of Petersburg Poor Creek Rehabilitation to assess and repair the Poor Creek wastewater system by repairing aging sewer pipes and manholes, reducing excessive water entering the system during storms and restoring lost capacity. These improvements will help prevent wastewater backups into homes, reduce pollution flowing into the Appomattox River and the Chesapeake Bay and improve reliability for residents, businesses and critical medical and industrial facilities.
• $1,092,000.00 for City of Colonial Heights Waterline Replacement Project to assess and repair aging water lines serving thousands of residents, improving efficiency and reducing risk of water breaks and contamination.
• $1,000,000.00 for a City of Emporia Norwood Water & Sewer Line Extensionto complete the extension of the Norwood Water and Sewer Line, a critical component of Emporia’s broader water and sewer infrastructure, which will promote public health, encourage economic development, ensure environmental compliance and leverage federal resources to benefit the City of Emporia, Virginia.
• $1,092,000.00 for the Town of Lawrenceville Wastewater Treatment Facility Expansion Project to replace 30-year-old wastewater equipment and nearly double the facility’s wastewater capacity, improving the wastewater quality discharged into the Meherrin River.
• $1,092,000 for Surry County Wastewater Improvements to build a new combined water system serving Surry County Schools and nearby industrial parks, allowing schools to serve more students and providing opportunities for rural housing and economic development.

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