At the request of the City of Harrisonburg, the HRMPO is conducting a study in the North Mason Street area to complement the City’s recently completed North Mason Street Demonstration Project. In November, MPO and City staff developed a Scope of Work and procured VHB to develop the study. The study team includes staff from the MPO, City, and VDOT, and the team held a kick-off meeting on December 4 to outline the study process.
VHB is currently working with the City on existing conditions analysis, traffic forecasting, and future no-build conditions analysis. In January, VHB will work on concept designs and build analysis, and in late February the study team will hold a public meeting to share the proposed alternates with the public and collect input to inform the identification of the preferred alternative. The City intends to use the study recommendations to inform a Smart Scale pre-application in spring 2026. The full study will be complete by the end of FY26.
Mason Street Demonstration Project
Harrisonburg completed a month-long Complete Street Demonstration Project on North Mason Street in July 2025. The project, which is part of the City’s larger effort to revitalize the Northeast Neighborhood, temporarily reconfigured the corridor between East Market Street and North Main Street by shifting all traffic to the two eastern lanes, installing temporary roundabouts at the Gay Street and Elizabeth Street intersections, creating shorter pedestrian crossing distances, and opening the western lanes for walking and biking. The MPO study will help refine these concepts and develop recommendations to support the City’s Smart Scale application.