Harrisonburg has been undergoing a lot of construction lately — downtown beautification, and road construction around the new hospital and the bypass from Route 42 to Port Republic Road — and more is planned.

1. NORTH VALLEY PIKE. The North Valley Pike Project is in the works. According to their website, a public hearing was held in September, and the strategic plan for the corridor has been sent to the project planning commission. The next step involves analyzing the existing conditions of this area in order to determine future conditions. Here is the full project timeline [click the image below to enlarge]:

The North Valley Pike Project will eventually — if all goes according to plan — be home to new residential areas, new shopping and commercial buildings, and updated traffic patterns and pedestrian walk- and bike-ways. This is the full area just north of Harrisonburg that encompasses this project plan:

You can read more about the suburbanization of North Valley Pike over at hburgnews.com.

2. ROUTE 11 SOUTH. At the very beginning stages of planning is the Route 11 South Regional Study. This study is expected to be completed within 12 months, and not much information is available now… so stay tuned!

3. DOWNTOWN. Also in the works is the downtown beautification and expansion. Downtown is growing fast, and because of this, “the need for a comprehensive planning document for public infrastructure has arisen. To meet this need, City staff, along with a committee of key stakeholders, have been working to create the Downtown Master Streetscape Plan” (source: City of Harrisonburg Public Works). They want to get input from the public about the future of downtown, so they’ve put together a survey that you can take (on or before October 31st!) to put in your two cents.

4. BICYCLE ROUTES. Another very popular project that is constantly underway is the Central Shenandoah Valley Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Although this involves much more area than just Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, it is centered here, and provides safe, fun bicycle routes for enthusiasts.