City Hall Briefs

September 3, 2026 — The Graves Mill Road Exit 11 ramp from US 501 North (Lynchburg Expressway) will be closed Tuesday, Sept. 8, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting, while Lynchburg Public Works crews perform asphalt patching.

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Motorists are encouraged to use an alternate route or follow the marked detour using Lakeside Drive/Breezewood Drive/US 501 South to access Graves Mill Road.

Emergency vehicles will have access at all times.

The City of Lynchburg, in partnership with the Downtown Lynchburg Association, will host a public open house on Monday, Sept. 21, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Lynchburg Museum & Visitor Center to share plans for Phase V of the Downtown Renewal Project.

The next phase is currently in design, with construction anticipated to begin in spring 2027. The project will make upgrades to aging underground utilities along portions of Court Street, 6th Street and 7th Street.

The open house will allow residents, property owners, businesses and other community members to stop by anytime between 4 and 6 p.m. to review project information, speak with city and consultant project teams and ask questions.

Phase V includes Court Street from 5th Street to 9th Street and portions of 6th and 7th streets between Church and Clay streets. The project includes replacement of waterlines that are more than 100 years old, along with sewer and stormwater infrastructure work and sidewalk and curb repairs.

For additional information about the Court Street improvements and to sign up for email project updates, visit www.RenewLYH.com. Residents, churches, offices, and other community members within the project area are also invited to fill out an online survey to help the project team better prepare for the construction phase of the project. The survey is available at https://renewal.downtownlynchburg.com/survey/court-street-kickoff.

Lynchburg Water Resources is partnering with the James River Advisory Council for the 27th Annual James River Regional Clean-up on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon at Rotary Centennial Lynchburg Skatepark.

Community members are invited to volunteer to remove litter from the James River and surrounding areas. Volunteers may arrive anytime between 9 a.m. and noon.

High-visibility safety vests, gloves and litter grabbers will be provided.

Register by September 9 at www.lynchburgva.gov/lwr-events.

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Lynchburg City Council will hold a special called meeting Thursday evening to consider temporarily pausing the city's 15 fixed Flock license plate reader cameras and potentially beginning the process of ending the city's agreement with Flock Group Inc.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in Council Chamber at City Hall, 900 Church St.

According to the city, council will consider a resolution addressing the temporary pause of the cameras, support for the Lynchburg Police Department, and providing notice and license revocation in accordance with the terms of the city's agreement with Flock.

The special meeting comes amid increased local discussion surrounding the use of Flock's automated license plate reader technology.

When available, the meeting materials can be found at https://www.lynchburgva.gov/842/Council-Meeting-Agendas-Minutes-Video.

Lynchburg Agenda has been following the growing debate over Flock cameras in the region, including concerns about privacy and civil liberties and decisions by other area localities regarding the technology. Read our full report on the Flock camera issue here and also here.

LYNCHBURG, Va. — An overnight closure of a portion of 5th Street and a temporary water outage for nearby properties have been rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8, as work continues on Lynchburg's 5th Street Utility & Streetscape Project.

The work was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 2.

The portion of 5th Street between Monroe Street and Chambers Street will close to through traffic in both directions beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8. The road is scheduled to reopen by 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Crews will use the closure to complete waterline work associated with the project.

Eastbound traffic will follow the same detour currently being used by westbound traffic, using Park Avenue and Langhorne Road to bypass the work zone. Motorists should follow posted detour signs, allow additional travel time and use caution in the area.

Emergency vehicles will continue to have access to the area but are advised to use the marked detour around the work zone.

Temporary Water Outage

Water service will be temporarily shut off to some properties while crews connect newly installed waterlines to the city's water system. Service will be restored after the connection work is completed.

The outage is expected to affect:

• 400 blocks of Wise Street, Floyd Street and Fillmore Street
• 1300 and 1400 blocks of 4th Street
• 1400 block of Valley Street
• 1211 5th Street

The city said the work is being conducted overnight to minimize impacts on daytime traffic.

To learn more about the 5th Street Utility & Streetscape Project, visit the project webpage at www.lynchburgva.gov/971/Fifth-Street-Improvements.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – City of Lynchburg municipal offices will be closed Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day. Trash will be collected following the normal schedule. The Concord Turnpike Convenience Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and closed every Monday.For more information, contact the Citizens First Information Center at 434.856.CITY (2489).