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Can the signal timing at the Falmouth intersection be changed Date published: 4/20/2009
DIRT IS FLYING up along the Capitol Beltway for the Interstate 495 High Occupancy Toll lanes project. If you drive in this area, you've seen the substantial changes as workers build two extra traffic lanes along the outer edges of the Beltway from the Springfield Interchange to just beyond the Dulles Toll Road. I rarely write about lane closures and traffic disruptions for this project, because it's a little too far north of our readership area. But if you work and travel along the Beltway, you may consider signing up to receive traffic updates from VDOT. Go to vamegaprojects.com, and click on "Sign up for Alerts and Updates." VDOT lets you choose which projects you want to receive alerts about, including a bi-weekly newsletter that sums up progress on all big projects in Northern Virginia. Dear Kelly: Can something be done with the timing of the light at the Falmouth intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 17 on Sunday afternoons through the summer? It's only April, and the backup was already there yesterday afternoon. Traffic backs up northbound all the way into Fredericksburg sometimes as far back as the University of Mary Washington while there is little traffic waiting at the light in the other three directions. This also increases the traffic in downtown Fredericksburg as many locals cut through downtown instead of enduring the long wait on U.S. 1. --Larry Gross, Spotsylvania Great question--I think this is what everyone asks themselves as they sit on the Falmouth Bridge every June, July and August. VDOT sent a crew to inspect the traffic signal at U.S. 1, Butler and Warrenton roads in Stafford to ensure it was working correctly. It decided it was working properly, and VDOT does not plan to lengthen the "green" time for U.S. 1 northbound traffic on Sundays afternoons and evenings. VDOT has definitely seen the backup you describe. That volume is taken into account when it sets signal timings, said Tina Bundy, VDOT spokeswoman. A few forces combine to make the Sunday afternoon backup so terrible. First, there is the design of the intersection. Unlike more modern intersections, this spot is narrow and unusually shaped, so only one side can proceed straight at a time, dragging out the wait.
I wonder how much $ it took to correct the traffic light at Rt. 218 and Deacon Rd. That should never have happened. VDOT spends thousands and thousands of dollars studying the hell out of project and they forget turn arrows? The engineers who studied this should be made to pay a portion of the cost to correct the lights. More government waste and no one cares. Why should we. Pres. O can always throw more money at it and make it all better, right? What a great country we live in.
http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/150
want less congestion? pay a toll!
seriously, look at a map.
gonna happen... 2012 = HOT LANES!
I think HOT lanes will cause a huge change in the way that
people commute but it won't be VRE but instead vans and
buses and carpools - the "other" kind of mass transit - that is
much more flexible in terms of destinations and much
more cost-effective.. roughly 1/2 of the cost of VRE.
the major problem with the "more transit - less cars" idea is
the cost - which no one wants anything to do with..when
they find out just how expensive it will be.
HOT Lanes will fix that.
for more mass transit and less cars!!
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