Alternating lane closures planned on Sandy Hook Road for crosswalk work

Drivers moving through Courthouse Village faced alternating lane closures on Sandy Hook Road as crews worked on the Farmers Market Crosswalk and Sidewalk project near 1900 Sandy Hook Road. Goochland County said one side of the road would close and then the other as painting was completed, with flagging in place and alternate routes recommended.

The work area sits in the middle of one of Goochland’s busiest civic corridors. The county’s farmers market is at 1889 Sandy Hook Road, across from the Goochland Sports Complex Field and one block south of Fairground Road, while the Goochland Sports Complex is at 1800 Sandy Hook Road and spans 8 acres. The new crosswalk and sidewalk are intended to connect the sports complex lower parking lot with the farmers market property, giving walkers a more direct and safer path across the road.

That connection matters in Courthouse Village, where the market brings steady foot traffic and the sports complex draws event parking and visitors. The market operates under the county Parks & Recreation Department and runs Tuesdays from May through September, which makes pedestrian access a recurring issue as warmer weather brings more people to the area. The county’s planning documents describe Courthouse Village as Goochland’s historical and institutional heart, with growth and public investment shaping how people move through the area through 2045.

The Sandy Hook Road work also fits into a much larger transportation effort that has been on the county’s books for years. County materials say the Fairground Road and Sandy Hook Road intersection has been in capital plans since 2007 and in the comprehensive plan since the 1980s. A 2019 Virginia Department of Transportation design hearing outlined a single-lane roundabout with turn lanes and sidewalks, a $4.1 million project about 0.191 miles long, and county presentation materials identified the intersection as one of the county’s top safety concerns after 13 crashes between 2012 and 2016. At the time of that presentation, there were no pedestrian crosswalks.

A county community update on Jan. 15, 2025, grouped the Farmers Market Crosswalk and Courthouse Village Sidewalks with other central Goochland transportation projects, underscoring that this is part of a broader push to make the village easier to cross on foot. Goochland County’s Transportation Department says it serves as the liaison between residents, businesses and VDOT on road improvements, which is why even a short lane closure carries a larger safety purpose for the heart of Courthouse Village.