DRIVERS may have
What's going on? U.S. 17 is being widened to four general traffic lanes at the intersection, said Charlie Kilpatrick, vice president for commercial construction at the Silver Cos.
In addition, two left turn lanes are being added to U.S. 17 northbound, along with a right turn lane from U.S. 17 southbound.
It's all in preparation for the opening of Hospital Boulevard, which will lead to HCA's Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, which is to open this summer.
Road work will be ongoing for the next 90 days, Kilpatrick said.
The Silver Cos. is building new roads surrounding the hospital, including a bridge over Interstate 95 that will extend Spotsylvania Parkway and link with Hospital Boulevard.
Around April, drivers will be able to drive on Spotsylvania Parkway across the finished bridge, connect with Hospital Boulevard and continue on to Germanna Point Drive or U.S. 17, eliminating the need to drive down U.S. 1, Kilpatrick said.
New hospital and road signs will be installed
Dear Kelly: At the traffic signal at Sanford Drive and U.S. 17 in Stafford, when making a right turn from Sanford onto U.S. 17 heading toward Interstate 95, there seems to be a discrepancy with the lights. The right turn signal for Sanford is lit, as well as the left U.S. 17 turn onto Sanford. The problem is that the left turn signal from U.S. 17 also allows a U-turn to head back to U.S. 17 southbound. Overall, leaving both turns active allows for the potential of accidents with both parties having the right of way based on both having green turn signals.
--Daniel Morio, Fredericksburg
Vehicles turning right from Sanford Drive onto U.S. 17 southbound have the right of way over U-turns, even though both have green signals. The Virginia Department of Transportation will post a sign clearing this up in the coming weeks.
I received the following response from Larry Settle, lead engineering technician in VDOT's Northern Virginia District traffic engineering office.
"The traffic signal is programmed to utilize 'right turn overlapping phasing,' meaning that when the left turn traffic for Sanford Drive gets a protected green arrow the right turn from Sanford Drive to [U.S. 17 southbound] gets the right turn arrow at the same time. This type of phasing is used at many locations and can improve traffic flow especially when the right turns and left turns are heavy during the same period of time," Settle's e-mail response read.
"However, it can cause some confusion to drivers that are attempting a U-turn," the e-mail continued. "Although, by law, U-turns must yield to everyone else in the intersection, including the overlapping right turns. In an effort to alleviate the confusion for [a] motorist making a U-turn, we will have a federally approved regulatory sign installed reading 'U-Turn Traffic Yield To Right Turn.'"
This question pops up at other intersections, too, so drivers should keep this law in mind. Unless otherwise posted, you have to yield to everyone on a U-turn, even when your lane has a green turn arrow.
Dear Kelly: I was recently in a wreck on Massaponax Church Road. I was caught off guard by the curve but was fortunate enough to walk out of my car after spinning head-on into a tree from running off the road on the turn. I was wondering if rumble strips are an engineering possibility to put on both sides of the curve to make sure those who do not see the signs hidden beneath the trees are given another chance to protect themselves. While I realize I was at fault for my crash, this curve has had more than its fair share of accidents.
The exact location of the curve is 6314 Massaponax Church Road.
--Casey Hollibaugh, Spotsylvania
I'm so glad you are OK! Thanks for writing in. It takes guts to admit you had a crash so you can help others avoid the same end. I sent your request for rumble strips to VDOT, since it maintains Massaponax Church Road.
I got the following response from VDOT's Settle in Northern Virginia.
"Rumble Strips are typically reserved for locations with a high crash rate due to unexpected and/or the need for special emphasis for a road condition. The crash rate in this area is relatively low compared to similar locations in Spotsylvania County. Crash records accessible for a 3-year period (01/01/06 thru 12/31/08) indicate that only 1 crash has occurred in the vicinity. However, our field review revealed that the existing signs should be upgraded along with additional curve warning signs installed at the point of the horizontal alignment change. The new signs will provide additional warning to [motorists] as they approach the curve and should be installed in the next 3 weeks," Settle wrote.
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 visit fredericksburg.com.