A major roadwork project in Rockingham County is on hold because of state budget shortfalls.

The county was planning to widen parts Port Republic Road, which would accommodate access to the new Rockingham Memorial Hospital. The roadwork delay has some worried that it may affect the time it takes for rescue vehicles to get to the new hospital

Larry Shifflett is the fire chief for the city Harrisonburg. Since fire crews are often first responders when there is an emergency, he knows all too well the importance of getting someone to the hospital as soon as possible.

"At the location over on Mason Street, we've got good access to a four lane road going in and out to the parking lots," says Shifflett.

He says there is good access on most of Port Republic Road, but at Neff Avenue, it narrows down to just two lanes, and the same is true for other entrances into the new RMH building.

"If you from the Route 33 entrance over into the side of the hospital, that's a two lane road, and it's going to be difficult for emergency vehicles to get in and out of there," says Shifflett.

If the state decides not to fund the $26-million expansion, the hospital plans to pay $500,000 of its own money for temporary improvements, which they say aren't nearly as good.

Dennis Coffman, RMH director of facilities planning, says, "It certainly will not be as convenient. You may end up sitting through one or two cycles of lights where if the roads were fully improved, you wouldn't have to sit through but one cycle of lights."

The money would go toward temporary intersections and traffic lights at Reservoir Street and Port Republic Road. However, it's money the hospital would rather spend to help patients.

"Maybe a CT scanner, and MRI machine or something else that we would need for the healthcare part of our community," say Coffman.

Shifflett says that while traffic congestion might mean a longer wait for ambulances, they are trained professionals and feel they have the equipment needed to sustain a patient until they get to the hospital. RMH should know if the state can fund the expansion by mid June.