Virginia

[cpzilliacus]

I miss the horsey sauce.  And I am not confusing it with Arby's

The Roy Rogers "Fixins Bar" has horsey sauce (but no Trigger sauce).  Not sure if it is what you mean (I do not generally like horseradish sause).

[OracleUsr]

Roy Rogers could run circles around Arby's, especially because of the fixins bar.  Wish NC still had them.

[cpzilliacus]

Roy Rogers could run circles around Arby's, especially because of the fixins bar.  Wish NC still had them.

You might well get them again.  Plamondon Companies of Frederick, Maryland (which ended up buying the rights to the Roy Rogers name and concept after Hardees tried (and failed) to kill the brand) is pretty  aggressively  seeking to expand the Roy Rogers chain up and down the East Coast.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: Virginia looks ahead to a driverless world

Sending a driverless car out to pick up dry cleaning or tapping a button so the car can take a 12-year-old to soccer practice could become daily routines within a decade or two.

Virginia is trying to sort out how to deal with a variety of likely transportation innovations, such as self-driving cars, that may come sooner than expected.

"What changed my mind about this is the fact that the tech companies are getting involved,"  said Lorna Parkins, vice president for transportation planning at Michael Baker International.

"So the pace of change for the auto industry is about five years to design something new and implement it. In the tech industry, it's about 18 months,"  she told the Commonwealth Transportation Board on Tuesday.

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: Virginia wants to steal some of California's driverless thunder

Gov. Terry McAuliffe bounded into the spare offices of a start-up incubator to make a rapid-fire pronouncement: He will spend the last nine months of his term trying to make Virginia "the capital of automated vehicles."

It was his economic development-meets-standup routine, and the commonwealth's salesman in chief had industry leader California and other rivals in mind. With more than 280 wineries, Virginia is already on the Golden State's heels in a crucial industry, the argument went.

"They're going to think Napa is an auto parts company!"  Mc­Auliffe (D) jabbed, knocking the "lighter fluid out there."

And driverless cars and drones, in air and water, are next up. "I want to own the land, the water and the sky,"  McAuliffe told the roomful of tech execs and mobility wonks in Arlington County. "We're going to bury those other 49 states. Worthless!"

[VTGoose]

Washington Post: Virginia wants to steal some of California's driverless thunder

Gov. Terry McAuliffe bounded into the spare offices of a start-up incubator to make a rapid-fire pronouncement: He will spend the last nine months of his term trying to make Virginia "the capital of automated vehicles."

It was his economic development-meets-standup routine, and the commonwealth's salesman in chief had industry leader California and other rivals in mind. With more than 280 wineries, Virginia is already on the Golden State's heels in a crucial industry, the argument went.

"They're going to think Napa is an auto parts company!"  Mc­Auliffe (D) jabbed, knocking the "lighter fluid out there."

And driverless cars and drones, in air and water, are next up. "I want to own the land, the water and the sky,"  McAuliffe told the roomful of tech execs and mobility wonks in Arlington County. "We're going to bury those other 49 states. Worthless!"

Virginia Tech is already a key player in all this, between the Smart Road and the agreement with the FAA as a UAV testing/development site. There are plans to expand the Smart Road research areas to be able to simulate rural and mountainous terrain. See the Roanoke Times article at https://goo.gl/d2nUSC

Bruce in Blacksburg

[74/171FAN]

The design alternatives for the planned VA 7 interchange at Battlefield Pkwy have been presented to the Leesburg Town Council. 

[cpzilliacus]

Virginia Tech is already a key player in all this, between the Smart Road and the agreement with the FAA as a UAV testing/development site. There are plans to expand the Smart Road research areas to be able to simulate rural and mountainous terrain. See the Roanoke Times article at https://goo.gl/d2nUSC

Bruce in Blacksburg

I wonder how a driverless car would handle roads like U.S. 250 between Staunton and Bartow, W.Va. (junction of 250 and WV-92/WV-28, perhaps more-commonly known as Arbovale)?

Or U.S. 33 between Harrisonburg and Brandywine, W.Va.?

And there's the matter of cattle chute work zones, so beloved by PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Or U.S. 33 between Harrisonburg and Brandywine, W.Va.?

It would quickly become a giant fireball off the side of the road.

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: Weekend bridge repairs to create traffic backups on I-95

If your weekend travels takes you though Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia, be prepared for some bigger-than-usual delays.

Deck repairs on the bridge over Neabsco Creek, just south of Potomac Mills Mall, will require some lane closures that are likely to create heavy traffic backups on the I-95 corridor in Dale City.

Traffic will need to get by on two of the three southbound lanes from 9 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday. Then again from 10 p.m. Friday, May 5 through 6 a.m. Monday, May 8, the Virginia Department of Transportation said.

[1995hoo]

Late last night the electronic signs were all advising people to take alternate routes because of that, and the one just north of Duke Street was advising that the HO/T lanes will be southbound all weekend.

[cpzilliacus]

Late last night the electronic signs were all advising people to take alternate routes because of that, and the one just north of Duke Street was advising that the HO/T lanes will be southbound all weekend.

Transurban is going to rake in the revenue this weekend running the lanes south (even on Sunday).  The bridge work is supposed to be finished by 6 AM Monday morning, but I presume that the managed lanes will be reversed to run north sometime early on Monday morning.

I hope that the VSP is on the lookout for the people that try to illegally enter the managed lanes at crossovers that are signed for official use only (I think that anyone caught doing that qualifies for a reckless driving charge). I have noticed this to be a real problem when the managed lanes are running southbound in the area between VA-294 (Prince William Parkway) and the Dale City weigh/inspection station and truck rest area.

[Bitmapped]

Virginia Tech is already a key player in all this, between the Smart Road and the agreement with the FAA as a UAV testing/development site. There are plans to expand the Smart Road research areas to be able to simulate rural and mountainous terrain. See the Roanoke Times article at https://goo.gl/d2nUSC

I wonder how a driverless car would handle roads like U.S. 250 between Staunton and Bartow, W.Va. (junction of 250 and WV-92/WV-28, perhaps more-commonly known as Arbovale)?

The intersection of US 250/WV 28/WV 92 is at Bartow. Arbovale is several miles south along WV 28/WV 92, immediately north of the Green Bank Observatory. Arbovale has what is effectively a short 2-lane bypass from when WV 28/WV 92 was realigned to avoid two 90-degree turns.

[Bitmapped]

WSLS10: CTB approves more than $64 million for Route 220 improvements

Note that this is mostly just minor safety improvements, not four-lane widening.  I put this here because this is in Botetourt County and is unrelated to I-73.

I recently drove U.S. 220 from Covington to Monterey, and was surprised at how primitive it was. Perhaps the local people of Bath and Highland Counties want it that way?

Traffic counts are low along US 220 north of Covington, especially so north of Warm Springs where they never get above 1400. Some work to straight the curves near Falling Spring might be nice but most of the road supports 55+ without any trouble. There's no real reason to upgrade it further.

[cpzilliacus]

Virginia Tech is already a key player in all this, between the Smart Road and the agreement with the FAA as a UAV testing/development site. There are plans to expand the Smart Road research areas to be able to simulate rural and mountainous terrain. See the Roanoke Times article at https://goo.gl/d2nUSC

I wonder how a driverless car would handle roads like U.S. 250 between Staunton and Bartow, W.Va. (junction of 250 and WV-92/WV-28, perhaps more-commonly known as Arbovale)?

The intersection of US 250/WV 28/WV 92 is at Bartow. Arbovale is several miles south along WV 28/WV 92, immediately north of the Green Bank Observatory. Arbovale has what is effectively a short 2-lane bypass from when WV 28/WV 92 was realigned to avoid two 90-degree turns.

I mentioned Arbovale because for some reason, there are properties like this at the crest of Allegheny Mountain (the Virginia/West Virginia state line and the Eastern Continental Divide are at the crest of the mountain) that has shown by Google Maps as being in the "town" of Greenbank or Arbovale (tonight it says Greenbank, previously it has said Arbovale). 

I always associated Greenbank with the site of the radio telescope, though sometimes it is said to be located in Arbovale.

[Bitmapped]

Virginia Tech is already a key player in all this, between the Smart Road and the agreement with the FAA as a UAV testing/development site. There are plans to expand the Smart Road research areas to be able to simulate rural and mountainous terrain. See the Roanoke Times article at https://goo.gl/d2nUSC

I wonder how a driverless car would handle roads like U.S. 250 between Staunton and Bartow, W.Va. (junction of 250 and WV-92/WV-28, perhaps more-commonly known as Arbovale)?

The intersection of US 250/WV 28/WV 92 is at Bartow. Arbovale is several miles south along WV 28/WV 92, immediately north of the Green Bank Observatory. Arbovale has what is effectively a short 2-lane bypass from when WV 28/WV 92 was realigned to avoid two 90-degree turns.

I mentioned Arbovale because for some reason, there are properties like this at the crest of Allegheny Mountain (the Virginia/West Virginia state line and the Eastern Continental Divide are at the crest of the mountain) that has shown by Google Maps as being in the "town" of Greenbank or Arbovale (tonight it says Greenbank, previously it has said Arbovale). 

I always associated Greenbank with the site of the radio telescope, though sometimes it is said to be located in Arbovale.

That area is part of Greenbank magisterial district, which is sort of akin to a township in WV. There are normally 3 districts in a county. Nobody actually uses those as geographic references but Google Maps sometimes shows them as they are geocoded as the sub-county geographic level. In many counties, they're numbered or directional (e.g., Western, Central, Eastern) rather than named after a locale.

[cpzilliacus]

That area is part of Greenbank magisterial district, which is sort of akin to a township in WV. There are normally 3 districts in a county. Nobody actually uses those as geographic references but Google Maps sometimes shows them as they are geocoded as the sub-county geographic level. In many counties, they're numbered or directional (e.g., Western, Central, Eastern) rather than named after a locale.

Virginia has them as well, in every county except Arlington - and the (county-equivalent) cities do not have them either.

West Virginia presumably inherited them from Virginia. 

[74/171FAN]

The southbound ramps at the I-81/VA 37 interchange were planned to have opened last night.  (I think most of the storms last night missed Winchester so I am unsure if they are open or not, but they should be opened the next clear evening according to the VDOT news release.)

[cpzilliacus]

The southbound ramps at the I-81/VA 37 interchange were planned to have opened last night.  (I think most of the storms last night missed Winchester so I am unsure if they are open or not, but they should be opened the next clear evening according to the VDOT news release.)

Do you know why VA-37 was not built with full freeway-to-freeway connections at the south end (especially) since that is what VDOT has been working on recently; but also at the north end?  Virginia does not usually go for breezewoods at places where freeways intersect each other, but they did in this case for some reason. 

As an aside  and well to the south, there was once a breezewood on I-81/I-77 at Wytheville after the rest of I-81 in Virginia was complete. 

According to Virginia Highways Project, it took many years after the rest of I-81 was completed to finish that section in Wytheville

The segment from exit 77 to US 52/VA 121 Fort Chiswell was opened in Sept 1985.
The last segment of I-81 to open was from today's exit 73 to exit 77, in July 1987. These last two segments were partially built on top of existing US 11-52 ROW.

[Mapmikey]

The southbound ramps at the I-81/VA 37 interchange were planned to have opened last night.  (I think most of the storms last night missed Winchester so I am unsure if they are open or not, but they should be opened the next clear evening according to the VDOT news release.)

Do you know why VA-37 was not built with full freeway-to-freeway connections at the south end (especially) since that is what VDOT has been working on recently; but also at the north end?  Virginia does not usually go for breezewoods at places where freeways intersect each other, but they did in this case for some reason. 

As an aside  and well to the south, there was once a breezewood on I-81/I-77 at Wytheville after the rest of I-81 in Virginia was complete. 

According to Virginia Highways Project, it took many years after the rest of I-81 was completed to finish that section in Wytheville

The segment from exit 77 to US 52/VA 121 Fort Chiswell was opened in Sept 1985.
The last segment of I-81 to open was from today's exit 73 to exit 77, in July 1987. These last two segments were partially built on top of existing US 11-52 ROW.

This is a reply from a related question in another thread a little while back...

VA 37 was moved further west at the request of local leaders - see page 10 at:
http://www.virginiadot.org/meetings/minutes_pdf/CTB-03-1965-01.pdf

Contracts were already let in 1962 for I-81 in the Winchester area, so my guess is that by the time VA 37's route was finalized in 1965 it would've been difficult to incorporate an I-81/US 11/VA 37 interchange (also a railroad nearby).

I couldn't find in the CTB minutes the rationale for the Winchester Bypass but I'd be surprised if it was for alleviating traffic on a brand new I-81 (otherwise the number would've probably been VA 281).  Additionally, the south VA 37 ending is also at grade interchange with I-81.  I would argue there is no "breezewood" situation at the north end because its purpose was likely for US 11-related reasons and VA 37 ends at a partial interchange there.  Or at least not so much for I-81 SB traffic (an argument could be made that I-81 NB traffic trying to reach US 50 or US 522 benefits from VA 37 from the south interchange.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: Lee Highway pedestrian bridge approaching final design

Refinements are being made to a plan to build a pedestrian and cyclist bridge in East Falls Church, which has undergone big changes in the past few months.

A previous version came under fire earlier this year for what critics viewed as a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhood and a perceived lack of community input, as well as design concerns. In previous renderings, the bridge had a trussed roof and was dark red.

[Mapmikey]

I took a trip down to Norfolk last weekend in order to check out the new MLK extension, as well as the new Dominion Blvd expressway. I managed to get some photos:

Were you able to see what happened with VA 337 ALT?

I was planning to see all this Christmas morning and was not planning to look into VA 337 ALT for time purposes.  I'll think about it.

I also saw on the Dominion Blvd project website that tolling is tentatively scheduled to start in early January. (hence another reason to do it now)

So most of VA 337 ALT is currently closed (detour is Rodman Ave to US 58 to High St to Constitution Ave to the Turnpike Rd/County St intersection), this basically means that I guess we will not truly know the answer on this situation for awhile.  I did not follow County St east of that intersection.

I did get to see everything else despite the terrible fog this morning. 

I tried to field check VA 337 ALT (Portsmouth) this weekend to see how VA 164's completion affected it and I could not determine what they are doing with it...a new posting is east of VA 164's overpass at the intersection of Turnpike and Constitution but there is no arrow (and also no alternate banner either).

Possibilities are:
Turns left on Constitution to go to VA 141 London Blvd;
Continues on County to VA 141 Effingham;
Continues on County to Elm, then south to connect back with VA 337.

I drove County to Effingham and saw no further shields and also went through the intersection where Elm becomes VA 337 and no signage there either.

[plain]

I took a trip down to Norfolk last weekend in order to check out the new MLK extension, as well as the new Dominion Blvd expressway. I managed to get some photos:

Were you able to see what happened with VA 337 ALT?

I was planning to see all this Christmas morning and was not planning to look into VA 337 ALT for time purposes.  I'll think about it.

I also saw on the Dominion Blvd project website that tolling is tentatively scheduled to start in early January. (hence another reason to do it now)

So most of VA 337 ALT is currently closed (detour is Rodman Ave to US 58 to High St to Constitution Ave to the Turnpike Rd/County St intersection), this basically means that I guess we will not truly know the answer on this situation for awhile.  I did not follow County St east of that intersection.

I did get to see everything else despite the terrible fog this morning. 

I tried to field check VA 337 ALT (Portsmouth) this weekend to see how VA 164's completion affected it and I could not determine what they are doing with it...a new posting is east of VA 164's overpass at the intersection of Turnpike and Constitution but there is no arrow (and also no alternate banner either).

Possibilities are:
Turns left on Constitution to go to VA 141 London Blvd;
Continues on County to VA 141 Effingham;
Continues on County to Elm, then south to connect back with VA 337.

I drove County to Effingham and saw no further shields and also went through the intersection where Elm becomes VA 337 and no signage there either.

So it's not directed onto the MLK at all?

[Mapmikey]

There is no interchange between VA 337 ALT Turnpike Rd and VA 164.  High St has a half-interchange (off ramp from 164 WB and on ramp to 164 EB) and beyond that there are no access points between I-264 and US 58/VA 141

[plain]

One would think the city would've sent it up to London then onto the MLK and through the Midtown Tunnel to meet back up with mainline 337, at least it would've made sense that way... then again mainline 337's routing isn't signed very well either especially between the Jordan Bridge and Downtown Norfolk smdh who knows