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On the RoadBy Kelly Hannon
Safest New Cars for 2010; One Institute's Picks Nov. 18, 2009 11:49 am
Shopping for a new car? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its top picks for the safest new vehicles in 2010. This year's list has a good mix of domestic and import vehicles. I'm always interested in the institute's choices because it looks at a wide range of safety factors, and things that don't always get attention in other lists, like roof strength and how a vehicle performs in rear-end crashes. The Arlington-based institute has a strong incentive for recommending safe cars. It is an independent nonprofit, but it is supported by auto insurers (including major Fredericksburg area employer GEICO) who'd love to see less property damage, injury and death from crashes. Already own a car and want to see what the institute thinks of it? Visit here for all vehicle ratings.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1258562947
Nov. 18, 2009 9:53 am
I know, I know -- I've already mentioned this several times, but it bears repeating: There are two road projects that could cause big traffic jams today and tomorrow in the Fredericksburg area. First, if you planned to drive on Tidewater Trail (State Route 2) in Spotsylvania from daylight through the evening today or Thursday, be aware that only one lane of traffic is getting by at a time at the railroad crossing near Spotsylvania Industrial Park. Workers will be making repairs to the crossing as long as they can into the evening, so no specific times are available. Northbound and southbound traffic is alternating using one open lane, directed by work crews with flags. Spotsylvania County and a subsidiary of CSX Corp. are splitting a $100,000 repair of the crossing, which has deteriorated. The section of track connects the industrial park with CSX's main railroad track. Spillover congestion from the crossing could make travel at the Dixon Street, Lansdowne Road and Tidewater Trail intersection difficult today and tomorrow. If possible, residents should use an alternate route. ALSO: Heading south on I-95 tonight or tomorrow past Exit 126/Spotsylvania? Strongly consider taking U.S. 1 south, or a different detour, if you have one. Between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. tonight and Thursday night, two of I-95's three lanes will be shut down at mile marker 125, a mile south of Exit 126 in the Massaponax area. PLUS, five times between 10 and 5, all traffic will be completely stopped for 15-minute increments so steel beams can be lifted over the travel lanes. The beams are needed to build a new I-95 overpass connecting Spotsylvania Parkway with Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, under construction east of I-95. At rush hour, when I-95 is completely closed, traffic can back up at a rate of a mile a minute. Late at night there is far less traffic, but that gives you an idea of what a 15-minute closure can do. Then, when the road re-opens, all that traffic has to squeeze through a single lane to get past the work zone. This is news you may want to share with friends and family. I have a feeling local residents will be aware of this work, but out-of-town drivers may be unaware.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1258556012
Nov. 17, 2009 10:42 am
The work zone on I-95 southbound in Spotsylvania this Wednesday and Thursday nights is at mile marker 125 - a mile SOUTH of Exit 126 at Massaponax. Traffic will be stopped on I-95 south for 15-minute increments five times between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday evening. Even when traffic is allowed to proceed, two of I-95's three southbound lanes will be closed in the work zone. Significant delays are expected. A single-lane will close in the work zone at 8 p.m. both evenings. I had the incorrect mile marker in today's story. I apologize for the error, and we're correcting this information online and in tomorrow's paper.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1258472531
Friday's Storm-Related Road Closures Nov. 13, 2009 9:15 am
The Virginia Department of Transportation has updated the list of road closures around the state Friday morning, including the Fredericksburg area:
*Caroline County* State Route 601 State Route 632 State Route 644 State Route 662
*Essex County* U.S. 17 between Elementary School Circle and Route 1024 only
*King George County* State Route 625 State Route 629
*Northumberland County* State Route 624 State Route 755 State Route 759
*Orange County* State Route 651
*Stafford County* State Route 601 State Route 623 (Harrell Road)
*Westmoreland County* State Route 626 State Route 631 State Route 637 State Route 711
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1258121714
Driving in the Rain? Slow Down! Nov. 12, 2009 3:22 pm
Virginia State Police have been very busy today, responding to crashes statewide where flooding, standing water or rain may have been factors. In Division I, which includes Caroline, Essex, King George, Lancaster, Louisa, Richmond and Westmoreland counties, as well as most of the Richmond area, no fatalities have been reported today. However, state police have responded to 104 crashes in that division through 3 p.m. this afternoon. And the evening rush hour has yet to begin. In the Hampton Roads division, where flooding is worse, state police have responded to more than 140 crashes. Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Molnar recommended drivers leave extra following distance between their vehicle and other vehicles this evening, and to slow down. "Just because the speed limit is posted does not mean that's the safest condition to be driving at that speed limit. So they need to adjust their driving to the conditions of the road," Molnar said. That includes Interstate 95, he said. "65 mph - That's for optimal driving conditions. With the rain and the wind, that's not optimal driving conditions," Molnar said.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1258057320
Nov. 12, 2009 10:32 am
Heavy rain has closed a number of Virginia roads, mostly in the Tidewater area. A few are closed in the Fredericksburg area, according to the latest report from the Virginia Department of Transportation. Culpeper: State Route 657, North and South Louisa: State Route 651, North and South Stafford: Harrell Road VDOT also has a YouTube video on driving in the rain, and the hazards that come with it. I personally learned this the hard way in 2007, when my car hydroplaned on Interstate 95 on a rainy day. Hands down, it was the most terrifying moment of my life, and I'm grateful to have survived it and not caused injury to anyone else. So, please be careful today. Slow down, turn on your vehicle's headlights if you are using your windshield wipers, and leave lots of following distance between vehicles.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1258039922
Nov. 11, 2009 3:39 pm
A devoted shopper at Spotsylvania Towne Centre called me yesterday. The owner of the shopping area, Cafaro Company, has replaced a major intersection there with a roundabout as part of the mall's redevelopment. The caller, a regular customer at Michaels, said she's stopped shopping at the arts and crafts store on State Route 3 as a result. "I don't know what to do," she said. "It's a mess." Oh boy. I went out there today to check it out. Sure enough, there were a lot of hesitant drivers winding around the two-lane roundabout where Route 3 traffic feeds into the mall's internal road near Belk. Signs have been posted informing drivers to yield to traffic in the circle, but there seems to be a lot of confusion. You could almost see people thinking, "Is it my turn?" "Do I go now?" The reluctance, at least as far as I could see, is not the roundabout's fault. It is not Dupont Circle. But few of us have encountered driving roundabouts in the United States. It's going to take time to adapt. Modern roundabouts -- the ones with low speeds, and a limited number of feeder streets -- are safer than other types of intersections, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. Roundabouts can move traffic more efficiently and have fewer crashes. Because of the benefits, roundabouts are making a comeback in the U.S. We'll likely see more of them in the Fredericksburg area. MediCorp Health System installed one on the Mary Washington Hospital campus. A recent government-funded study on ways to improve Lafayette Boulevard recommends installing one at the intersection with Kenmore Avenue and Prince Edward Street in Fredericksburg. Before you make your next trip to the towne centre, I recommend visiting the extensive roundabout Web page put together by the Virginia Department of Transportation. There is a video demonstrating how to drive through a roundabout, along with a slew of other tips. As for the towne centre roundabout, I think it has the potential to improve traffic flow once drivers are comfortable with it. Before the roundabout, making a left turn to leave the towne centre from Costco was a scary maneuver. It required drivers to monitor traffic feeding in from several directions. Now, drivers just have to monitor the roundabout. However, the caller is correct. Michaels' shoppers have to re-learn a new way to reach the parking lot. Drivers are no longer able to make a left turn into the parking lot from the main entrance road. The median has been blocked. Drivers need to enter the main road, circle the roundabout, and proceed onto the exit side of the main entrance road, where they can turn right into the Michaels parking lot. That sounds confusing, but it should make more sense once you see it. Essentially, drivers are making a U-turn using the roundabout. Or, drivers can proceed halfway around the roundabout and proceed as if they are headed to Sears on the mall's internal road. From there, drivers can turn left into the Michaels parking lot, as you could before.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1257971940
Nov. 10, 2009 9:33 am
When it comes to ice and snow removal, the Virginia Department of Transportation has fielded just about every conceivable question. Why did my neighbor's street get plowed before mine? Why did I see a snow plow driving down the street with the plow in the raised position? Why did the snow plow dump snow back in my driveway after I just cleared it? VDOT has tried to answer some of the more frequently-asked questions HERE. Do you have a question that wasn't answered? Send them to me at khannon@freelancestar.com and I'll send them to VDOT, and post the answers here around the time of the first snowfall. I had a chance to tour VDOT's Stafford Area Headquarters yesterday, which has hundreds of tons of sand and salt ready to go. VDOT's trying to do more pre-treatment of interstates and primary roads using a saltwater brine solution this year, which prevents ice from forming a bond with the pavement. Read about it here.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1257863627
Nov. 6, 2009 12:51 pm
As usual, there is no road work planned on Interstate 95 in the Fredericksburg area for most of the weekend. Unfortunately, that does not mean there will not be traffic. I was caught in a 90-minute jam on U.S. 1 north last Sunday afternoon in Stafford, after a crash on I-95 and U.S. 1 in North Stafford combined forces for a bumper-to-bumper trip starting before the Rappahannock Regional Jail. (Is it just me, or is the Courthouse Road traffic signal in Stafford quickly becoming the new Falmouth intersection on Sundays?) The weekends always prove just how fragile our road network is -- minor disruptions on the main line domino everywhere else. If I'd taken my own advice and checked 511virginia.org before leaving my house, I might've had a chance of avoiding the mess using local roads. So, listen to the radio, check 511, and bring a map of county roads. It's a good investment. Just keep in mind the speed limit in residential areas is 25 mph. Other road-related news: *Work on the Gov. Harry W. Nice Bridge on U.S. 301 has finished early, so the single-lane closure will not take place next week as planned. *If you are coming home late on Sunday night using Interstate 495 south, or Monday through Thursday nights next week, you should avoid a major road project. Interstate 495 south will SHUT DOWN at 11 p.m. Sunday at the intersection with Interstate 66. Delays on the Capitol Beltway will start a little before the closure at 9:30 p.m. when crews will shut down one lane, then gradually shut down the rest. Workers need to close the interstate to lift steel beams over the travel lanes. The steel beams are for a new bridge. The I-495 south lanes at I-66 will re-open at 5 a.m. This closure will repeat each night through Thursday, always 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Drivers will have access to I-66 west from the Beltway -- you just can't continue south on the Beltway past the I-66 exit. To detour, take I-66 west to Exit 62/Nutley Street. From there, drivers will be able to use I-66 east to return to I-495 and continue the trip. Drivers should allow an extra 15-20 minutes to take the detour. *Heading into Washington this weekend? Metro's planning some delays on the Blue and Orange and Yellow lines that will affect people who park and board the train at Franconia-Springfield. Delays could add up to 30 minutes to your trip from Franconia-Springfield, and Metro's encouraging riders to park and ride at the Huntington station in Alexandria instead. *Finally, the public can get a FREE ride to Tysons Corner next week from the Woodbridge area. Starting Monday morning, a new commuter bus route is starting from the Woodbridge Virginia Railway Express station and a Woodbridge commuter lot to 16 stops inthe Tysons area. As a promotion, there will be no charge to ride the first week. Check out details here, or read my story on the service. The bus offers free wireless Internet. *Yet another plug for FRED Express Late-Night. Do you live in Fredericksburg, downtown or along the Cowan Boulevard corridor, and plan a night out? Consider riding this low-cost bus, open to the public, on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. It is 50 cents per boarding. It's underwritten by the University of Mary Washington and used by many students, but it is also a safe way to get around for all community members. Consider checking it out. If you want to head out sooner, look at the FRED routes that run earlier in the evening.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1257529913
State Route 3/U.S. 1 Road Work Project Update Nov. 4, 2009 5:22 pm
Work is progressing on a bridge rehabilitation project at the intersection of U.S. 1 and State Route 3 in Fredericksburg, but the lane closures will be in place for several more weeks. The city's public works department staff met today to discuss the latest schedule for the project. *The lane closures on Route 3 under the U.S. 1 overpass are scheduled to end by Friday, Nov. 20, according to a news release from Doug Fawcett, director, Fredericksburg Department of Public Works. *The lane closures on U.S. 1 will end by Friday, Dec. 11. Within the next three weeks, the lane closures on U.S. 1 will shift, changing the temporary traffic pattern, but one lane will still be closed in each direction. Fawcett cautioned that very heavy rain could delay this schedule. The city is spending $540,000 to rehabilitate the U.S. 1 bridge. On U.S. 1, workers are inspecting the bridge, repairing sidewalks, repairing the bridge walls, and applying a new asphalt road surface. On the bridge’s underside, workers are repairing deteriorating concrete. The city asks drivers to proceed carefully in the work zone (the speed limit remains 25 mph) and stay alert for workers and detour signs.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1257373339
U.S. 1 South Closed in Spotsylvania Nov. 3, 2009 8:43 pm
Stay away from U.S. 1 south near Four Mile Fork in Spotsylvania if you can, at least in the immediate future (I'm posting this at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday). The southbound lanes near the intersection with Courthouse Road have been shut down as law enforcement officials respond to a crash scene.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1257299016
New Traffic Signal at Gordon and Chancellor Roads Nov. 2, 2009 9:51 am
Sometimes, a little bit of road money can equal big changes. Spotsylvania County activated a new traffic signal at Chancellor and Gordon roads last week, likely thrilling drivers who've wanted safety improvements at the busy residential crossroads. In addition to the traffic signal, Spotsylvania also built new turn lanes. The $1 million project's cost was shared evenly between Spotsylvania and the Virginia Department of Transportation. It is the rare occasion where a project transforms an intersection. Transportation planners give letter grades to roads and intersections based on how well the traffic flows. Before the signal and turn lanes were added, the Gordon Road/Chancellor Road intersection had an "F" grade, which pretty much means the same thing it did in school. Now, the intersection has an "A" grade. The project began in 2006, when Spotsylvania supervisors decided to target improvements at intersections with high crash rates and lots of morning/evening congestion. There were 39 crashes at the Gordon/Chancellor intersection between 2004 and 2008, according to Spotsylvania County. About 23,000 vehicles a day pass through the intersection.
Perma-link: http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?blogger_id=35&p=1257173463
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Contact Kelly Hannon writes about traffic and transportation in the Fredericksburg area.
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Kelly Hannon is the transportation reporter for The Free Lance-Star.
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