The North Gayton Road Extension opened to traffic on Oct. 6, improving access to northwestern Henrico County and relieving traffic on Pouncey Tract Road and at West Broad Street’s intersection with Pouncey Tract and Pump roads.

Henrico Department of Public Works officials recommend that motorists use caution as they acclimate to the new road and traffic patterns. Some work by contractors will be ongoing.

The 2.1-mile project has provided a new, divided, six-lane road that extends North Gayton northward from West Broad. After a bridge crossing of Interstate 64, the North Gayton extension narrows to four lanes at a relocated Bacova Drive before linking to Pouncey Tract. In addition, Shady Grove Road has been widened to four lanes between Pouncey Tract and Twin Hickory Road.

The project includes sidewalks and pedestrian and bicycle paths, and, in some areas, curbs and gutters.

The $48 million North Gayton extension project has been funded entirely by Henrico through the bond referendum approved by county voters in 2005. It was pursued as a design-build project through the Virginia Public-Private Transportation Act, which allowed the contractor to plan and construct the road to the county’s specifications for a fixed price. The Board of Supervisors in September 2007 approved a contract with a group led by W.C. English of Lynchburg. Construction started in December 2009.

The North Gayton Extension is projected to carry as many as 15,000 vehicles per day.