A new roundabout is being constructed at the intersection of Southgate Drive and Duck Pond Drive as part of the Southgate Interchange project.

Construction of the roundabout will begin on Monday, May 16 and continue through August 12. Traffic will be maintained, but delays and congestion are expected. Drivers are encouraged to use West Campus Drive to access the Virginia Tech campus.

The roundabout is part of a multi-year Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) project that will significantly change the entrances to the south end of the Virginia Tech campus.

VDOT will build a new grade-separated interchange to replace the intersection of Southgate Drive and U.S. 460 and relocate Research Center Drive to allow for the expansion of the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport. The new interchange and roads should be open for traffic in late 2018, according to VDOT's schedule.

The new interchange will be built approximately 1,900 feet southeast from the current traffic signal on U.S. 460. It will allow for possible expansion of the Corporate Research Center to university land on the southwest side of U.S. 460.

A new Southgate Drive will carry vehicles from the interchange to a roundabout at the new Research Center Drive (to access the CRC) and then further on to Duck Pond Drive.

Construction of the interchange began in spring 2015, with initial work along U.S. 460 still underway. The Dairy Science Complex was moved to Kentland Farm prior to the start of construction.

For more information, including maps and videos, visit VDOT’s Southgate Connector website or contact Mike Dunn, transportation and planning engineer at Virginia Tech, at 540-231-7641 or  Jen Ward, communications specialist with Virginia Department of Transportation, at 540-387-5238.

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