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Traffic stops yesterday at the new stoplight at U.S. 1 and the U.S. 17 Bypass near the Cosner's Corner shopping center in the Massaponax area. |
By KELLY HANNON
The merging of road and retail continues in the Massaponax area, where a new traffic pattern is threading vehicles through the Cosner's Corner shopping center at U.S. 1 and the U.S. 17 Bypass.
Both lanes of the bypass west of Interstate 95 have shifted to permanent lanes that run through Cosner's Corner, a 152-acre retail complex under development by the Silver Cos.
The new lanes, which opened Saturday night, intersect with U.S. 1 at a new traffic signal about a quarter-mile south of the former intersection of the bypass and U.S. 1.
The Silver Cos. paid for the project. Charlie Kilpatrick, Silver's vice president of construction, said moving the traffic signal south has already improved vehicle movement in the Massaponax area.
"It's helped traffic disperse, and my observation is it's providing improved traffic flow during peak hours in that area," said Kilpatrick, a former Virginia Department of Transportation engineer. "We've got a lot more improvements that are coming."
The first store opened in Cosner's Corner Wednesday, a SuperTarget. Dozens of stores will eventually fill out the complex, which will be terraced into three levels. Stores opening this year include Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less, Five Below, World Market, Dress Barn, Rackroom Shoes, Justice and PetSmart.
As the center expands to include a Home Depot and other stores, so will the number of traffic projects funded by the Silver Cos.
A later phase will include a four-lane divided extension of Spotsylvania Parkway into Cosner's Corner. Long-range plans call for the parkway to be extended across I-95 and hook into the U.S. 17 Bypass. The road would serve as the main access to the proposed Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center.
Shoppers exploring the SuperTarget yesterday had no complaints about the new traffic pattern.
"I had no problems," said Malanna Perry, 53, who lives in the Timber Ridge subdivision off the U.S. 17 Bypass and has already traveled the new route several times. "I'm so glad it's here!"
Karla Spaulding, 39, lives near Smith Station Road and takes Spotsylvania Parkway to reach the Cosner's Corner and Southpoint II shopping centers in the Massaponax area.
"With all of the new traffic changes, we've not had any problems. It's always been smooth," Spaulding said.
That may not always be the case: Spaulding noted that Southpoint Parkway was so empty when it opened that it was a "dream," but has grown congested.
"The traffic may not go as smoothly as the building expands," she said.
More shopping options in the Massaponax area are expected to move cars off State Route 3. But traffic is increasing along the bypass, according to VDOT figures.
In 2003, an average of 15,042 vehicles a day traveled between U.S. 1 and Germanna Community College. By 2005, the daily average was up to 26,279 vehicles.
Not everyone is thrilled about the new traffic pattern. At least one motorist finds the new section poorly laid out.
Priscilla Cole, 28, lives in the Pelham's Crossing subdivision, and has encountered backups trying to turn right onto U.S. 1 north from the single right turn lane, even at 10 a.m.
"They should have made that turn lane longer," Cole said.
That problem could disappear when the old stretch of the U.S. 17 Bypass is rebuilt as a northbound ramp from U.S. 1 to the Bypass. Germanna Community College students and area residents will be able to zip north without traveling through Cosner's Corner.
The ramp will open sometime this fall, Kilpatrick said.
"We wanted to make sure we've got people headed in the lanes they need to be in before we introduce any additional changes to the driver," Kilpatrick said.
Another drawback to the new pattern, in Cole's opinion, is the steep grade and merge point.
Two left turn lanes from southbound U.S. 1 into Cosner's Corner eventually narrow into a single lane, after the entrance to SuperTarget. Trucks have had difficulty moving up the steep hill, then merging, Cole said.
"It could have been designed better," Cole said.
Kilpatrick said the grade is actually more gradual than the old stretch of the bypass it replaces, and the additional lanes give cars a chance to pass trucks--something they've never had before. It might take drivers time to adjust to this option, he said.
"The challenge right now is we've put in considerable more lane capacity on the ground than was here a week ago," Kilpatrick said.
Jane Kolakowski, 55, thinks it's too early to tell how well the traffic pattern will work long-term, but her initial impression is positive. She lives near Tidewater Trail and browsed the new SuperTarget yesterday.
"It's hard to break old habits when you get comfortable," she said. "It'll take more time to evaluate. But it feels safer."
To reach KELLY HANNON:
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com
