Virginia

[1995hoo]

....

The thing I find odious in Virginia is that they did not amend the reckless driving statute when they authorized the 70-mph speed limit back in 2010. I think having the law set up so you can be given a reckless driving ticket for going a mere 11 mph over the speed limit regardless of the conditions is a serious "gotcha" kind of law, and I don't think there's anything inherently dangerous about going 81 mph in a 70 mph zone that makes it more worthy of a reckless driving ticket than going 66 mph in a 55 mph zone (assuming there are no aggravating circumstances like bad weather, driving without headlights, etc.). There's nothing magical about 80 mph other than its use in that particular statute. Back in the old days of bias-ply tires, lousy breaks, etc., maybe it was different.

Absolutely.  Especially on a road like I-85 south of Petersburg.  Few interchanges, not much in the way of horizontal or vertical curvature leads to a road where going over 80 is quite reasonable.  Most of I-295 (including the Hopewell speed trap) is the same way.

Back in the 1990s I used to go anywhere from 80 on up to 95 mph on that road all the time and almost never saw a cop. Seldom went much over 95 because of the difficulty of slowing down if I picked up police radar. Funny thing, though....no matter how fast I went on there, it still always took four hours to make the trip in either direction between my parents' house just east of Fairfax City and my apartment on Duke's Central Campus.

Aside from the fact that I don't generally drive as fast as I used to, and I like having my low insurance premiums, the thing that would give me serious pause about going that fast on I-85 these days would be my concern about deer. I don't know whether deer are as big a problem in Southside as they are in Northern Virginia, but on a road lined with lots of trees like I-85 I always worry about them (whereas 20 years ago the thought seldom crossed my mind). I would not have the same concern on a road like, say, the Lynchburg—Madison Heights bypass segment of Route 29, which doesn't have nearly as many trees along the sides and they aren't as close to the road (it's the only non-Interstate in Virginia posted at 70 mph, as far as I know). My concern about deer makes me feel like speeds in excess of 80 mph are more appropriate on I-295 than on I-85 in Virginia, though I think speeds UP TO 80 mph are probably OK on I-85 during daytime hours.

[froggie]

I don't know whether deer are as big a problem in Southside as they are in Northern Virginia,

They are..

[jeffandnicole]

VA is absolutely insane when it comes to 'Reckless Driving' charges.  In most states, 93 in a 55 is a decent speeding ticket; nothing else.

[froggie]

However, one could argue that 93 in a 55 is pretty reckless when the 55 in question is an at-grade arterial with lots of hills and driveways...

[cpzilliacus]

However, one could argue that 93 in a 55 is pretty reckless when the 55 in question is an at-grade arterial with lots of hills and driveways...

Agreed.

An arterial highway, or a functional class expressway-type road (think ADHS Corridor G or Corridor H) with speeds that high is pretty clearly reckless driving.

A "t-bone" wreck or "rear-ender" wreck with one vehicle operating at a speed that high is very likely to result in one or several fatalities.

[Alps]

However, one could argue that 93 in a 55 is pretty reckless when the 55 in question is an at-grade arterial with lots of hills and driveways...

From reading the article, the person was a car writer testing out a Camaro. The Camaro can get up to speed quickly and brake quickly, so he was probably using short straightaways to buzz up to speed and wind down again. That's not dangerous as long as he maintains control of the car.

[froggie]

It read to me like he sped quickly, but wasn't slowing back down quickly.

[1995hoo]

Mulligan Road, connecting Telegraph Road near Hilltop Golf Club to US-1 at its intersection with VA-235 (Mount Vernon Memorial Highway) is currently scheduled to open August 18. This should be a huge help to getting around this part of Fairfax County by partially substituting for the routes across Fort Belvoir that were lost when the Army closed off public access to Beulah Street and Woodlawn Road after 9-11.

Map is centered on Mulligan Road, the one running by itself vertically through the middle of the image:
https://maps.google.com/?ll=38.733799,-77.144794&spn=0.028388,0.055747&t=h&z=15

Took the convertible out for a drive this afternoon to charge the battery after jumpstarting it and I decided to check out Mulligan Road. I was tempted to drive on it because the Telegraph Road end is blocked off only with orange barrels, but better sense prevailed (when you're driving a 1988 Mazda RX-7 with a personalized license plate, you're not exactly inconspicuous, setting aside the risk of getting a flat tire from construction debris or the like and the problem of getting a tow if I broke down). The road will be four lanes, divided, with a 40-mph speed limit. A new traffic light is in place at the intersection with Telegraph Road and the nearby neighborhood has a new sound wall (standard VDOT grey....sound protection nice for the neighborhood, visual effect a drag for the people living immediately behind it). Technically, the road changes names maybe three-quarters of the way down to its intersection with US-1 (Richmond Highway) and VA-235 (Mount Vernon Memorial Highway)–once you pass the intersection with Pole Road (Route 622), it becomes Jeff Todd Way, apparently named for a local businessman and community leader who was killed in a car crash en route to Nags Head in the summer of 2011. Jeff Todd was the head of Todd Restaurants, which owns the three Roy Rogers franchises in this part of Fairfax County. The "Jeff Todd Way" sign is already in place at the intersection with US-1, although the intersection there isn't complete and doesn't seem like it will be 100% done by August 18.

Telegraph Road's new lanes, widening it to four lanes divided from just east of Beulah Street to the western end of Old Telegraph Road (between Hilltop Golf Course and Hayfield Secondary School), are supposed to open on or about August 13, according to the portable message sign I passed today.

It's a very good thing the new road is opening now. Construction on the new Wegmans at Hilltop Town Center (northeast corner of Beulah Street and Telegraph Road near the fire station) is moving right along. The distinctive steeple-type thing is already in place. Last I update I heard from Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay is that the store is supposed to open sometime early next year, so it's critical the new road, and the widened Telegraph Road, be open before then to avoid massive gridlock. Not that the grand opening won't be a schemozzle anyway–I remember the day the Wegmans near Fairfax City opened the traffic was so bad it was mentioned in all the radio traffic reports! (On the map below, Wegmans will be just to the left of the "T" in "Telegraph.")

I'm wondering what this will do in terms of changing traffic patterns in my part of the county. Van Dorn Street is virtually unusable in the mornings from Franconia Road to Pickett Street on weekdays outside the summer months and I wonder how many drivers from the Woodlawn area might decide to attempt using Mulligan to Telegraph to Van Dorn.



Meanwhile, the new culvert is in place on Telegraph between Van Dorn and South Kings Highway, so hopefully within the next month they can start laying the new road there. It's being widened to four lanes between those two streets.

[cpzilliacus]

I'm wondering what this will do in terms of changing traffic patterns in my part of the county. Van Dorn Street is virtually unusable in the mornings from Franconia Road to Pickett Street on weekdays outside the summer months and I wonder how many drivers from the Woodlawn area might decide to attempt using Mulligan to Telegraph to Van Dorn.

What hurts this part of Fairfax County is a familiar theme - lack of east-west (circumferential) highway capacity.  It's a shame that Va. 289 (Franconia Springfield Parkway) does not run in a straight shot all the way east to U.S. 1, though the parklands and existing development make that difficult.

I hope this helps, at least a little.  As an aside, I think I have eaten at all three of those Roy Rogers restaurants in southeastern Fairfax County.

[1995hoo]

I don't really think an east—west route would help so much as another way across the Beltway. I understand why the folks on Clermont Avenue would bitterly fight having that road connect to the Eisenhower Connector (which, years ago, was part of Clermont). It'd mess up their neighborhood bigtime. But the problem is, the Beltway is like a wall. There are not many ways across it and they act like funnels. So my concern is that Mulligan Road, as important as it is, might make it too easy for people who would now go up the GW Parkway or Route 1 will now try to cut northwest to Van Dorn. There is ONE way out of my neighborhood–Van Dorn (either north to the Beltway or south towards Telegraph). Maybe I should have thought of that in 2001.....on the other hand, volume has increased exponentially since 2001.

[cpzilliacus]

I don't really think an east—west route would help so much as another way across the Beltway. I understand why the folks on Clermont Avenue would bitterly fight having that road connect to the Eisenhower Connector (which, years ago, was part of Clermont).

It has been quite a few years, but I believe that what is now Eisenhower Avenue Connector was called Clermont Drive on the planning documents in the 1980's and 1990's.  The only thing that survived was a bicycle/pedestrian trail. 

I have some sympathy for the people along Clermont Drive - the grades there (behind the Beltway noise wall are steep (similar to Van Dorn Street at the Beltway except steeper)), and a big reconstruction project would have been required to carry "thru" N-S movements from Alexandria to Va.644 (Franconia Road).

It'd mess up their neighborhood bigtime. But the problem is, the Beltway is like a wall. There are not many ways across it and they act like funnels. So my concern is that Mulligan Road, as important as it is, might make it too easy for people who would now go up the GW Parkway or Route 1 will now try to cut northwest to Van Dorn. There is ONE way out of my neighborhood–Van Dorn (either north to the Beltway or south towards Telegraph). Maybe I should have thought of that in 2001.....on the other hand, volume has increased exponentially since 2001.

I had some friends who lived off of Beulah Street in one of the several 1980's townhouse properties.  I can recall traffic being pretty heavy even then (though at the time, the only access to I-95 was via Va. 644 or Va. 617 (Backlick Road)) or to head north to Va. 613 (S. Van Dorn Street).  No Fairfax County Parkway, no Franconia Springfield Parkway.

[froggie]

There is ONE way out of my neighborhood–Van Dorn (either north to the Beltway or south towards Telegraph).

Which, to me, simply points to the absolute stupidity of developmental design over the last few decades.  Yes, I realize residents don't like or want "cut through" traffic in front of their houses.  But the (significant) downsides to that are that traffic all gets funneled into one or two chokepoints instead of being more spread out, just as you argue with the lack of connections across the Beltway.  Furthermore, in the event of a major crash or casualty on Van Dorn in front of your development, you'd be completely stuck.

Maybe I should have thought of that in 2001.....on the other hand, volume has increased exponentially since 2001.

Out of curiosity, I looked up traffic volumes along Van Dorn St.  According to VDOT, Van Dorn St actually has less traffic between Franconia Rd and the Beltway today (48K) than it did in 2002 (54K).  If you live south of Franconia Rd, that's where you probably saw some increase.  Van Dorn wasn't open south of Kingstowne Blvd to Telegraph until ca. 2004.

[1995hoo]

Yeah, I remember the day Van Dorn opened to Telegraph.

It's not unusual for the backup in the morning to extend from Pickett Street all the way to Kingstowne Village Parkway. While that's maybe about two miles, three miles tops, it can take 45 minutes to make that drive if you hit it on the wrong day. Why, I don't really know. We just go a different way if we see stopped traffic when we approach the light leaving our neighborhood. Regardless of the number of cars on the road, it never took that long when I moved here.

It could also well be that even if the overall number of daily trips has decreased, those trips have become more concentrated at certain times of day so the volume seems to have increased.

[1995hoo]

I drove down to Mulligan Road this morning but, as of about 10:20, it wasn't open yet. Don't know whether it will open today or not. The north/eastbound side of Telegraph has been opened and has two lanes to a point just east of the new Mulligan Road, where the right lane abruptly (and with minimal warning) becomes right-turn only into Fort Belvoir. I could see that spot becoming a problem in the future if they don't post a little more advance warning the lane ends. South/westbound Telegraph has not yet been restriped to accommodate two lanes of traffic, and various orange barrels occasionally block the left lane such that it's impractical to treat it as being two lanes.

Don't know whether they will want to resurface/restripe the other side of Telgraph before Mulligan opens. If I have time this afternoon, and if it doesn't rain, I may go check it out again to see whether it opens. I was kind of disappointed it wasn't open this morning, but I also wasn't terribly surprised either.


Edited to add: BTW, Bing Maps shows the new road and will let you plot a route using it (Google shows it as under construction). It's 2.2 miles down Mulligan Road/Jeff Todd Way from Telegraph Road to Route 1 at the intersection of VA-235 (Mount Vernon Memorial Highway). I believe the speed limit is to be 40 mph between Telegraph and Pole Road; don't know about the rest. The existing route, which requires going down Telegraph to the Fairfax County Parkway, following that to Route 1, and going back up through Fort Belvoir, is a 6-mile drive but can take 20 minutes or more depending on the traffic and the time of day (in the afternoon, going in the reverse of the direction I just stated can be an interminable slog since Route 1 crawls through the base).


Second edit: I sent a tweet to the VDOT Northern Virginia office to ask about it and they replied it is to open when the Telegraph Road traffic signal is operational (it was flashing yellow this morning).


Third edit (3:09 PM): VDOT just sent me a tweet to say it's open. I'm at a good stopping point on what I'm working on, so I think I'll go check it out before it rains. $%&*!!!! I drove over there (thankfully a short distance) to find it wasn't open. Guess I'll try again tomorrow if I have time.

[1995hoo]

The new road is open. Went to check it out this afternoon. It's not a route I'm likely to use all that often just because it doesn't go anywhere I normally need to go, but it was vital they get this open prior to the opening of the new Wegmans sometime in 2015.

I can see this road being a goldmine for cops, especially once the high school kids discover it, because a lot of people are going to ignore the 40-mph speed limit. In the video, I had my cruise control set at 40 just so I could look around, although ultimately there isn't much to see–and I'm sure that's one reason the US Army agreed to allow a publicly-accessible road to be located in that part of Fort Belvoir! I did see a wild turkey off to one side of the road just out of the camera's field of view.

Almost no publicity surrounding the opening, but people will discover it soon enough, just like they did when Van Dorn Street opened to Telegraph Road about ten years ago or so. Be interesting to see if it has an effect on the traffic on Telegraph Road and Van Dorn Street by making them more accessible to people in the Woodlawn area.

[froggie]

Be interesting to see if it has an effect on the traffic on Telegraph Road and Van Dorn Street by making them more accessible to people in the Woodlawn area.

There might be some off-peak impact for that, but Telegraph being 2 lanes from Hayfield to Van Dorn will be a check against significant traffic change.  More realistically, I see Mulligan Rd traffic using Telegraph to tie into Beulah or Hayfield rather than Van Dorn.

[1995hoo]

Be interesting to see if it has an effect on the traffic on Telegraph Road and Van Dorn Street by making them more accessible to people in the Woodlawn area.

There might be some off-peak impact for that, but Telegraph being 2 lanes from Hayfield to Van Dorn will be a check against significant traffic change.  More realistically, I see Mulligan Rd traffic using Telegraph to tie into Beulah or Hayfield rather than Van Dorn.

Don't forget Kingstowne Village Parkway, which is four lanes and connects Hayfield to Van Dorn (indeed it's how I came back from exploring today). It was the thru route prior to the last piece of Van Dorn opening. Also a good amount of Beulah traffic connects to Van Dorn via Franconia Road.

Edited to add: I was thinking about it further when I was driving this morning and I thought of two other points. First, in respect to my comments above, I certainly couldn't fault anyone from down that end of the US-1 corridor from at least trying some variant of a route using the new road at some point. They'd be crazy not to TRY it to see how it works, though later in September would be a more accurate test.

Second, and potentially more interesting, the new road opens up access to the Franconia—Springfield Metrorail stop to a lot of people who don't have an easy way to get there now. If I lived down in the Woodlawn area and wanted to ride the Metrorail, previously I'd have had to slog up to Huntington or take an out-of-the-way route to Springfield. The new route is an interesting option for commuters down there in this respect. While you have a longer ride on the train, you potentially make that up with a shorter trip to and from the train. (Similar to the reason why, except during the summer, we often go to the Springfield stop rather than Van Dorn even though the latter is slightly closer. It takes 10 minutes to reach Springfield, but it can often take over half an hour to go from Franconia Road to the Van Dorn stop.)

[1995hoo]

This just appeared on Twitter. Interesting. This probably makes sense given the ever-increasing toll rates such that none of the tolls are under $1 anymore. (I entered at Spring Hill Road last month and it showed up on my E-ZPass statement as a $1.00 toll.)

I have not paid cash on the Dulles Toll Road since sometime in 2001, but as I recall, back then when all the tolls were under a dollar if you paid with something requiring change, the toll attendant gave you the change and then threw coins in the amount of the toll into the coin basket to make the arm go up. I assume that is no longer the case these days.

First4Traffic ‏@First4Traffic 1h

19 lanes along Dulles Toll Road will go from "exact change" to EZ Pass only. Starting at FFX Co Pkwy on 9/2. @nbcwashington @News4Today

[formulanone]

Question: why does everyone drive so slow through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel?

Seems to be backed up for at least a mile for no apparent reason other than folks like to travel at 15mph through there.

[cpzilliacus]

This just appeared on Twitter. Interesting. This probably makes sense given the ever-increasing toll rates such that none of the tolls are under $1 anymore. (I entered at Spring Hill Road last month and it showed up on my E-ZPass statement as a $1.00 toll.)

I have not paid cash on the Dulles Toll Road since sometime in 2001, but as I recall, back then when all the tolls were under a dollar if you paid with something requiring change, the toll attendant gave you the change and then threw coins in the amount of the toll into the coin basket to make the arm go up. I assume that is no longer the case these days.

First4Traffic ‏@First4Traffic 1h

19 lanes along Dulles Toll Road will go from "exact change" to EZ Pass only. Starting at FFX Co Pkwy on 9/2. @nbcwashington @News4Today

Dr. Gridlock of the Post: More E-ZPass and the end of coin payments on the Dulles Toll Road

IMO, a band-aid solution - they are going in the right direction, but what the Toll Road needs to go to cashless, virtual-ticket tolling (like Md. 200). 

Put up a gantry in each direction between each interchange and be done with it - that also treats short trips between Exits 9 (Va. 28, Sully Road) and 14 (Va. 674, Hunter Mill Road) more-fairly than the current system does (where the ramp tolls assume that your trips involves a trip as far east as Va. 7 or the main barrier).

[Thing 342]

Question: why does everyone drive so slow through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel?

Seems to be backed up for at least a mile for no apparent reason other than folks like to travel at 15mph through there.

I would assume a combination of no shoulders and 11' wide lanes.

[cpzilliacus]

Question: why does everyone drive so slow through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel?

Seems to be backed up for at least a mile for no apparent reason other than folks like to travel at 15mph through there.

(1) 2012 published AADT by VDOT of 86,000 for the crossing.  That is enough right there.

(2) Add relatively steep climbs (even with relatively low truck volumes) from the low point in each tube, and you get slow traffic much of the day.

[froggie]

The backups are most often caused by stoppages to turn around overheight trucks from the westbound tunnel.  #2 cause of backups is crashes.

But, even without congestion, folks drive slow through the tunnels because they're often timid in tunnels...what Thing posted is part of that.

[cpzilliacus]

Seems to be backed up for at least a mile for no apparent reason other than folks like to travel at 15mph through there.

I drive the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (I-895) somewhat frequently and it is slightly longer than the tunnel portion of the HRBT (BHT is slightly over 7,600 feet portal-to-portal, while the tunnel part of the HRBT is about 7,500 feet). Both are two lanes in each direction. No shoulders in either tunnel.   

But there's a difference in traffic volume.  The BHT has an AADT of between 68,000 and 69,000, while the HRBT runs at around 86,000.  That is the reason that the HRBT is so frequently congested. The BHT is generally not congested, unless there is an incident of some sort.

The BHT would probably be as congested as the HRBT had the I-95 Fort McHenry Tunnel (AADT about 120,000) not been built and opened to traffic in 1985.

[1995hoo]

Heh. I remember in the years before the Fort McHenry Tunnel opening it sometimes took an hour to crawl along the Harbor Tunnel Thruway and through the tunnel if my parents forgot to take I-695 instead.