Document Actions
Rural Addition Program (RAP)
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
RURAL ADDITION PROGRAM
(RAP)
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) funds a program known as the Rural Addition Program (RAP) for the purposes of bringing private roads up to standards to be added to the State system of roads and highways. Rural additions will be considered when requested by resolution of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors where the proposed roads provided sufficient public service and which meets other guidelines as may be established by Franklin County.
Currently, VDOT earmarks $60,000 per year to this program and, from time to time, has carry-over funding available from previous years. The fact that all RAP funding is not utilized during one particular year does not mean the loss of this funding. Funding is always carried over from year to year.
THE ROCKY MOUNT RESIDENCY'S (VDOT'S) RESPONSIBILITIES
1. The Residency office receives requests from citizens, from County offices, and from the Board of Supervisors members throughout the year (approximately July 1st to July 1st) and prepares a list of roads to be considered by the Road Viewers.
2. In preparing this list of roads for consideration by the Viewers, the Department performs the following tasks:
- Detailed estimate for construction of the road.
- Cost per mile.
- Cost per home served.
- Determination of the approximate age of the subdivision.
- Determination as to whether the street has been constructed to serve lots created under the County's 5-acre exclusion of the Subdivision Ordinance.
- Determination of safe sight distance at the intersection of the private/subdivision road and the State road.
- Determination of any special consideration (large stream crossings, railroad crossings, etc., those items significantly increasing the cost of the street construction).
- Existence of necessary right-of-way (platted at the Courthouse).
- Determination of the existence of speculative interest.
(If the original developer, developers, or successor developers retain a speculative interest in property abutting the streets. Also, ownership or partnership in two or more parcels, or equivalent frontage abutting such streets shall constitute a speculative interest.)
3. The Department will also provide any other information it feels necessary to assist the Road Viewers making recommendations to the County Board of Supervisors.
4. At the time the Road Viewers meet, the Department will provide transportation to them and any County government representative and will accompany the Viewers to each candidate street. The Department's representative will be ready to answer any questions the Viewers may have or will provide them with the answers as soon as possible after the review.
5. The Department will provide each Viewer with a packet of information about each street, including a lot-layout of the subdivision according to the Franklin County tax maps and all pertinent information listed in No. 2 above.
6. The Department will not sponsor or support one street over another in this process.
THE BOARD OF VIEWERS' RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Accompany the Department's representative on the review of all candidate streets.
2. After review of all candidate streets, meet with the Department's representative to ask questions (if any).
3. Present a recommendation or recommendations to the Franklin County Board of Supervisors, ranking the candidates in order of merit. Criteria utilized in the past are:
· Age of the subdivision (providence of service prior to July 1, 1985).
· Cost of road construction.
· Number of residents served.
· Services provided for (schools, mail delivery).
· Ratio of Road Construction Costs/Number of Dwellings served.
· Existence of speculative interest.
· Individual property/home ownership.
· History of the subdivision.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS' RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Notification of VDOT's Rocky Mount Residency Office of the action taken in the selection candidate street or streets.
FRANKLIN COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE'S RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Acquisition of necessary right-of-way.
THE ROCKY MOUNT RESIDENCY'S (VDOT'S) RESPONSIBILITIES
1. If resources and schedules permit, assist the County in the acquisition of necessary right-of-way.
2. Meet with the citizens to discuss what the construction of the street/streets will entail.
3. Process all RAP documentation (including the right-of-way documentation) to the Central Office in Richmond. Once a route number is assigned, the Department will begin construction by State Force, Hired Equipment, a combination of the two or by contract.