CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Tenaska announced Monday it has chosen Charlottesville-based Timmons Group for the design and management of a roundabout the company is financing at Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. and Ruritan Lake Rd. The roundabout will primarily accommodate construction vehicles during the construction of the new Expedition Generating natural gas-fueled power plant off Branch Rd., according to a new company newsletter.

“We recognize that construction will cause some temporary traffic disruption, but we want to minimize the impact on county residents and motorists,” the newsletter said. “As this intersection was recognized as an existing traffic concern, Expedition has committed to funding a roundabout here prior to peak construction of the power plant.”

As part of the project, Timmons will support the survey, traffic analysis, roadway design, permitting and construction-phase engineering. Fluvanna County, where the power plant is being built, will oversee the applicable development requirements, and the Virginia Department of Transportation will review the roadway design and approve any work performed within the state right-of-way.

The letter said project teams are currently conducting field surveys and analysis to determine the size, location, property requirements, and construction sequence for a single-lane roundabout.

The objective is slowing approaching traffic while safely accommodating local drivers, emergency vehicles, and construction traffic.

The expected rise in traffic due to the construction and operation of the new power station was a reason cited in the lawsuit the Southern Environmental Law Center filed last month, which is seeking to overturn the Board of Supervisors’ approval of the project.

“Plaintiffs will also be uniquely harmed by increased traffic from the construction and operation of the proposed Expedition Generating Station due to the dramatic increase in heavy truck and other traffic on the winding Branch Road and along Ruritan Lake Road and its intersections,” the lawsuit said. “A traffic study upon which the Board relied projects an additional 800 vehicles seeking daily access to the proposed Expedition Generating Station site during the 18-month peak of construction activity, and an additional 6 to 30 delivery trucks per day during four years of construction.”