Hanover County, Route 360 Widening Project

Route 360 is one of Hanover County’s most heavily traveled transportation corridors, connecting residential neighborhoods, businesses, schools, and regional destinations throughout Mechanicsville, Virginia. As traffic volumes continued to grow, the County recognized the need to improve roadway capacity, enhance safety, and provide better access for motorists, pedestrians, and the surrounding community.

The approximately $36 million Route 360 Widening Project transformed this critical corridor through roadway widening, pedestrian improvements, utility relocations, stormwater infrastructure upgrades, reconstruction of the Mechanicsville High School bus loop, and innovative drainage improvements designed to support the County’s long-term transportation needs while minimizing impacts to surrounding properties.

MBP served as Construction Manager from pre-construction through closeout, providing leadership, technical oversight, and coordination among Hanover County, VDOT, Kimley-Horn, Allan Myers, utility providers, businesses, school officials, and residents to successfully deliver the project while maintaining a focus on safety, mobility, communication, and community impact.

Challenge

Improving Route 360 meant far more than widening a roadway. Construction took place along one of Hanover County’s busiest transportation corridors while maintaining traffic, preserving access to businesses, minimizing impacts on nearby neighborhoods, and keeping essential community facilities fully operational.

Originally conceived in the 1990s, the project remained on hold for years before construction began. During that time, the design underwent multiple iterations, software platform transitions, updated stormwater requirements, additional geotechnical investigations, and numerous revisions to meet current standards. As construction progressed, undocumented utility conflicts, material procurement delays, evolving field conditions, and work adjacent to schools, businesses, and residential communities all had the potential to affect schedule, budget, and the traveling public. Successfully delivering the project required reconciling decades-old plans with today’s requirements while maintaining safe access for motorists, pedestrians, emergency responders, and local businesses.

Solution

From the outset, MBP provided leadership, technical oversight, and day-to-day coordination throughout construction. Early involvement helped identify risks associated with legacy design documents, establish collaborative working relationships, and create a framework for timely decision-making. Although the original contract called for part-time construction management services, MBP recognized the project’s complexity and maintained a full-time on-site presence to ensure continuity and responsiveness.

MBP worked closely with Hanover County, the contractor, designers, and utility providers to resolve undocumented utility conflicts and adapt to changing field conditions. One notable example involved a Verizon duct bank beneath an active travel lane. Rather than relocating the utility through a change order estimated at more than $1 million, the team modified the construction sequence. It lowered the utility in place, avoiding significant relocation costs while allowing work to continue with minimal disruption. When long-lead drainage materials were delayed, MBP resequenced construction activities to keep crews productive and minimize schedule impacts.

Working with Hanover County, VDOT, and the contractor, MBP developed traffic management strategies that allowed major utility crossings and storm drain installations without full roadway closures, reducing workers’ exposure to live traffic while minimizing impacts on motorists, businesses, and nearby neighborhoods. Reconstruction of the Mechanicsville High School bus loop was completed during summer break before students returned. At the same time, MBP coordinated with businesses, emergency services, utility providers, property owners, and County staff and kept the community informed through message boards, social media, and direct outreach.

Working with Allan Myers, MBP also developed an alternative approach to storm drain installation that replaced a planned jack-and-bore operation with nightly detours and open-cut construction. The revised approach generated more than $265,000 in value engineering savings while improving constructability and reducing project risk. MBP also supported the installation of an underground stormwater detention system that reduced right-of-way impacts, preserved adjacent properties, minimized the project footprint, and met environmental requirements. Drone mapping, aerial photography, and 360-degree imaging further improved communication, documentation, and decision-making throughout construction.

Result

The Route 360 Widening Project was successfully delivered while maintaining traffic, preserving business access, and minimizing impacts to the surrounding community throughout construction. MBP performed more than 1,000 inspections across more than 25 work features, while daily safety reviews and innovative traffic control strategies helped protect workers and the traveling public. The project was completed with zero lost-time injuries, reflecting the team’s commitment to delivering a high-quality project safely. Through proactive problem-solving, close coordination, and innovative solutions, the team avoided more than $1 million in utility relocation costs and generated more than $265,000 in value engineering savings. It delivered transportation improvements that will serve Hanover County for decades to come.