I'M GOING right to questions today. It's spring, and drivers are spotting problems around every turn.
Dear Kelly: I really would like to know which agency has placed the lighted sign in the breakdown lane of Interstate 95 just north of the on-ramp from State Route 610. Signs that give information about upcoming conditions are very welcome on roads like I-95, but this sign is extremely counterproductive. The sign warns of "slow traffic ahead--be prepared to stop," but is simply set on a timer for the rush hour, with no actual information regarding road conditions. The result is that every driver who passes Exit 143 each morning is primed to slam on the brakes at the first sign of a slowdown or brake lights from anywhere on the road. Far from helping to manage traffic flow, this sign is responsible for a significant slowdown just after Route 610 every morning. Get rid of the sign and let's keep the road moving.
--Joe Gherlone, Stafford
The Virginia Department of Transportation installed the message sign at mile marker 144 on Interstate 95 northbound when Quantico Marine Corps Base began a 100 percent ID check at the Russell Road gate, near I-95 Exit 148. The ID check created a line of vehicles that, at times, caused a traffic backup on the interstate. There is a curve on I-95 just before Exit 148, and motorists traveling at full speed could round this curve to find a line of stopped traffic, said Tina Bundy, VDOT spokeswoman for the Fredericksburg District.
The sign is there to warn motorists of the slowdown near Exit 148, she said.
Dear Kelly:
My friends and I want to go on a day trip from D.C. to Kings Dominion. We are thinking about taking Greyhound to Fredericksburg, and then taking something else to Kings Dominion. So we're wondering if there is any kind of transportation that we could use, or if there is a better way to get there?
--Linh Nguyen, Washington
I called John Pagel, marketing manager for Kings Dominion. Pagel said there is no public-transit option from Fredericksburg to Kings Dominion--at least to his knowledge--that runs regularly. Large groups charter tour buses to carry them to Kings Dominion, but I think your group is probably a lot smaller than 25 to 50 people.
One option could be to ride Amtrak to Ashland. The train station is six miles from Kings Dominion. You could call a local cab company to take you to the amusement park, and call them again to take you back to Ashland to catch a train back to D.C.
If you have a driver's license, renting a car might be your best option, splitting the cost across the group. Amtrak tickets for each person, plus cab fare, will likely be more expensive than the car rental, and the journey on the train will take longer. (Assuming traffic is moving on I-95, which is never a good assumption to make.) Still, driving is not an option for everyone. I wonder, if public transit were available from Fredericksburg, would more people visit Kings Dominion, especially teens?
Kelly Hannon is The Free Lance-Star's transportation reporter. If you have questions, send them to Getting There, c/o The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401; or fill out the Getting There form on fredericksburg.com.
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