Connecting Staunton, Safely and Sustainably

The City of Staunton is excited to introduce dedicated bike lanes along Churchville Avenue, a long-planned project aimed at improving safety and connectivity for cyclists. This project links downtown Staunton to Gypsy Hill Park and onward to Shutterlee Mill Road, providing a safer, more accessible route for recreational and commuter biking.

This section of Churchville Avenue was an ideal location to implement bike lanes for a number of reasons. The proximity to the park and downtown makes this a high priority area.

Churchville Avenue is also rather wide in this location, giving significant right-of-way to implement the project without requiring large additional funds to complete the project.

The majority of the project is a "road diet," meaning the most of the work involves striping and repainting roads to create bike lanes. Learn more about the benefits and the planning that goes into a project like this from a Sept. 23, 2025 presentation.

Project Overview

• Location: Churchville Avenue from Lewis Street  to Shutterlee Mill Rd
• Purpose: Enhance multimodal transportation, improve bike safety, create better connectivity across the city
• In the works since the adoption of the Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan in 2018
• Construction Timeline: Milling and paving of this section of Churchville Avenue and Shutterlee Mill Road is underway. The roadways will be striped to add bike lanes later this spring.

What's Changing?

To make room for the new bike lanes:

Several center and right vehicular turn lanes will be removed along Churchville Avenue at cross streets between Englewood Drive and Albemarle Avenue.

Here is an example of the road diet changes on Churchville Avenue near Spring Hill Road:

This intersection in particular was studied closely after City Council and members of the public questioned these specific changes during meetings. 

Members of the Staunton Police Department, Public Works, Engineering, and Community Development studied the traffic flow and presented to City Council in June of 2023. The ultimate recommendation was to move forward with the original design, removing the westbound right-turn lane and the eastbound left-turn lane.

After reviewing traffic data and drone footage, they concluded that removing these turn lanes would not significantly affect traffic flow. Staff also noted that the timing of the traffic lights at Spring Hill Road and Donaghe Street could be adjusted.

Markings at the intersection of Churchville Avenue and Donaghe Street will change as well:

The removal of the center turn lane at A, B, C, and D Streets will look similar to these changes at A Street: 

Sharrow markings will be added to Shutterlee Mill Road. This means there is not a dedicated bike lane, but markings to remind drivers to be cautious and share the road with cyclists.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long has this been planned?
A: Since the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan was adopted in 2018

Q: Was the public involved?
A: Yes. Public engagement played a big role in developing the Bike Ped Plan and a public meeting was held in October 2022 to gather feedback on these specific changes. That feedback led to more in-depth study of specific intersections.

Q: Will traffic be impacted? 
A: There will be temporary detours during striping. Permanent changes include the removal of some turn lanes, but studies show traffic should continue to move smoothly.

Q: Will this affect parking?
A: No. Parking will remain the same in the vicinity of the bike lanes.

Q: Are other Bike/Ped projects happening in other parts of the city?
A: Yes, learn more about the improvements on West Beverley Street.