The Virginia Department of Transportation will host a public information meeting Feb. 3 to discuss the portion of the Virginia Capital Trail that will extend along New Market Road (Route 5) in Varina.

The meeting will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at John Rolfe Middle School, 6901 Messer Road in Varina.

Attendees will be able to see and hear plans for the construction of a shared-use path along the road, from 0.7 miles south of Richmond city limits to Long Bridge Road in Varina. The path is a 10.8 mile phase of the Virginia Capital Trail. Construction is expected to begin in mid 2012 and continue through mid 2014 and will have minor impacts on traffic.

The meeting will be held in an open house format beginning at 5 p.m. with stations where individuals can talk one-on-one with project staff.

The format is designed to be flexible and allows participants to arrive whenever their schedules allow. Participants will have the opportunity to provide comments at the meeting or submit them via e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) by Feb. 13. E-mail input should reference “Virginia Capital Trail comments” in the subject line.