Virginia

[74/171FAN]

Meantime, US-1 at Fort Belvoir is supposed to shift to the new alignment tomorrow.

Final completion is expected in the spring of 2017. 

[Mapmikey]

The Jones Branch Connector contract was awarded with construction beginning early 2017 and be partially open by fall 2018.

This project takes the Jones Branch interchange with the I495 Express Lanes and fully builds out the overpass that exist to the west and also continues east as a new overpass entirely over the Inner Loop to connect with a road leading to VA 123.

Will be bike/ped friendly...

http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/jones_branch_connector.asp

[oscar]

Meantime, US-1 at Fort Belvoir is supposed to shift to the new alignment tomorrow.

Final completion is expected in the spring of 2017. 

Per the article, that just means the realignment that was supposed to happen today will be only four lanes for now, with two more lanes to follow next spring.

BTW, there's a Roy Rogers on US 1 just north of the realignment project, in case CPZ needs another reason to come down and check out the realignment.

[AlexandriaVA]

Some of the ramps on 395 are getting new ramp meter lights (i.e. one car per green). The vertically-aligned (on the side) lights are being replaced with horizontally aligned (overhead).

[74/171FAN]

Roanoke Times:  Changes are planned at the odd US 460 BUS/VA 111/ Cambria St intersection in Christiansburg. 

In case you did not know, this intersection is odd because the ramp from US 460 to US 460 BUS EB and US 460 EB both meet each other at the US 460 BUS/VA 111/Cambria St intersection resulting in separate phases for both the ramp and mainline US 460 BUS EB.  Also traffic going from US 460 BUS EB to VA 111 EB must use a ramp to Cambria St (there are no VA 111 shields to direct you here) as left-turns are not allowed from US 460 BUS EB (but they are from the ramp).

I hope I explained it well enough.

[plain]

Roanoke Times:  Changes are planned at the odd US 460 BUS/VA 111/ Cambria St intersection in Christiansburg. 

In case you did not know, this intersection is odd because the ramp from US 460 to US 460 BUS EB and US 460 EB both meet each other at the US 460 BUS/VA 111/Cambria St intersection resulting in separate phases for both the ramp and mainline US 460 BUS EB.  Also traffic going from US 460 BUS EB to VA 111 EB must use a ramp to Cambria St (there are no VA 111 shields to direct you here) as left-turns are not allowed from US 460 BUS EB (but they are from the ramp).

I hope I explained it well enough.

I can definitely see the confusion here especially with that traffic light and the turning situation. How long was it like this?? Since the bypass' completion?

[Mapmikey]

Roanoke Times:  Changes are planned at the odd US 460 BUS/VA 111/ Cambria St intersection in Christiansburg. 

In case you did not know, this intersection is odd because the ramp from US 460 to US 460 BUS EB and US 460 EB both meet each other at the US 460 BUS/VA 111/Cambria St intersection resulting in separate phases for both the ramp and mainline US 460 BUS EB.  Also traffic going from US 460 BUS EB to VA 111 EB must use a ramp to Cambria St (there are no VA 111 shields to direct you here) as left-turns are not allowed from US 460 BUS EB (but they are from the ramp).

I hope I explained it well enough.

I can definitely see the confusion here especially with that traffic light and the turning situation. How long was it like this?? Since the bypass' completion?

The current setup has been in place since the freeway connecting the Blacksburg and Christiansburg bypasses was built.

Before that it had been setup as a simple 4-way intersection with all movements possible, back to when VA 111's north end was reconfigured to meet Cambria Rd west of 460 Bus in the mid 1960s.  Note that it was not possible for original Christiansburg US 460 Byp WB traffic to turn back onto US 460 Bus EB towards Christiansburg.

[hbelkins]

That new section of 460 had just opened when I spent a week in Blacksburg for a class back in 2003. A lot of the overhead signage had not yet been installed. To be a short section of freeway, it sure has some complex interchanges.

[OracleUsr]

Took a ride around Virginia yesterday for my birthday, mainly to go get a sandwich from Blacksburg...

Hope you weren't looking for a Mike's burger. They shut down in late summer  for a variety of reasons.

Nope...Sub Station 2.  This is the only one left in Virginia.  They are based in South Carolina which is where I started eating their sandwiches in the 1970s...

Mmmm sub station 2. Used to eat at the one in gastonia all the time.  Haven't been to one in nearly 10 years.

When I was commuting from Charlotte to Statesville, I used to drop by the one near Clanton road on the way back for a scrap sandwich (basically they took the left over meat and cheese from when they cut the packages and put them on a sandwich...sounds weird but it was really good)

[VTGoose]

Roanoke Times:  Changes are planned at the odd US 460 BUS/VA 111/ Cambria St intersection in Christiansburg. 

In case you did not know, this intersection is odd because the ramp from US 460 to US 460 BUS EB and US 460 EB both meet each other at the US 460 BUS/VA 111/Cambria St intersection resulting in separate phases for both the ramp and mainline US 460 BUS EB.  Also traffic going from US 460 BUS EB to VA 111 EB must use a ramp to Cambria St (there are no VA 111 shields to direct you here) as left-turns are not allowed from US 460 BUS EB (but they are from the ramp).

I hope I explained it well enough.

I can definitely see the confusion here especially with that traffic light and the turning situation. How long was it like this?? Since the bypass' completion?

That whole interchange and some of the adjacent highway was a botch-job from the beginning. Speculation around here is that VDOT turned the design work over to some junior engineers just graduated from UVa. (as a friend once said of UVa. -- they turn out "social engineers" who know how to pour tea and which fork to use but know nothing about "real" engineering). Granted, they had a limited space to create a complicated interchange (and a lot of the budget was spent on useless connections in Blacksburg to justify the Smart Road*).

The problems appeared early on when it was not possible for people to get from Blacksburg to their homes in the multitude of subdivisions down Cambria Street to the west of N. Franklin St. The intersection, lanes, and lights were reconfigured to allow right turns onto Cambria St. from the middle lane, which helped somewhat. The way to get to Cambria St. (in either direction) when heading east on N. Franklin St. is to take a ramp (with an interesting configuration -- it sort of "disappears" when crossing the railroad tracks due to a quick bend to the right) that ends in a T at Cambria St. Turn left to reach the traffic light at N. Franklin then continue straight on Cambria to reach "downtown" Cambria to the east (it used to be a separate town from Christiansburg until they merged). The problem with trying to address the big intersection with multiple choices of directions and turns means long light cycles and traffic that backs up on the ramps at heavy traffic times (mainly after quitting time at Virginia Tech with lots of people heading home to parts of Christiansburg and beyond).

It will be interesting to see what solutions the new engineering firm comes up with. It would be nice if one suggestion is to complete the 460 eastbound to Business 460 westbound ramp. There are times it would be quicker to go that way to get to Spradlin Farm shopping center (Target, Home Depot, et al) from Blacksburg but that isn't a choice right now.

The other problem in the area that probably won't be fixed is with the two bridges over the exit ramps that connect from the new bypass to the former/current Christiansburg bypass. They are both curved and banked, which plays havoc when it rains and especially when there is freezing rain or snow. The curve/bank combination makes for wrecks when people aren't expecting a slick roadway and VDOT/the local maintenance contractor haven't hit the road with salt/grit. Pre-treating has helped but it can still be a problem.

See http://www.brucebharper.info/varoads/Bburg3A.html for some info about this whole "connect the bypasses" project.

*The Smart Road has become an important research area for Virginia Tech. At the time it was being sold for VDOT funding there was a lot of questionable information being thrown around by supporters. It is built on one of the rejected routes that was proposed to improve traffic flow between Blacksburg and I-81 -- a new road would run from the south end of the then-current Blacksburg 460 Bypass to connect to I-81 just north of where the interstate crosses the N&W/Norfolk Southern tracks about two miles from Christiansburg exit 118. One of the selling points was that "when" the chosen route (today's route) became overcrowded then the Smart Road could be completed from its proposed (at the time) end the rest of the way to I-81 to provide another route to the interstate (opponents pointed out that adding a third lane to the proposed route could probably solve capacity problems). But proponents prevailed and a series of ramps and bridges was included at the Blacksburg end of the new bypass to accommodate the "eventual" completion of the Smart Road as a through highway (which people pointed out would pretty much make it impossible to do some of the things planned for research). But money talks and we are stuck with a bunch of ramps that will probably never see any traffic -- both because the closed-course Smart Road as it is will be too valuable to abandon to a through road and VDOT will probably never raise a second route to I-81 to any level of priority that would get funding (I-73 notwithstanding).

Bruce in Blacksburg

[hbelkins]

My thought was that the Smart Road was going to eventually become I-73.

[cpzilliacus]

The Virginian-Pilot: "Cartography is like... casket-building. Not many people do it." Virginia's cartographer and his maps

Ten years after the iPhone, one could argue that the paper map has become the victim of Google Maps, Waze and other turn-by-turn direction apps. No longer is it the main device for navigation, as it had been for thousands of years.

Yet, earlier this year, the Virginia Department of Transportation released its updated 2016-2018 road map — just like clockwork. You'll find the neatly folded maps in rest stops and welcome centers across the commonwealth.

But why, in this digital age, does the state still print them? Who is in charge of making the maps? How do we use them today?

Dwayne Altice is a man with a unique job.

"Cartography is like flag-making and casket-building,"  he says. "You don't know too many people that have this profession."

Altice, the state's lone cartographer, has been designing VDOT road maps for the past 26 years. So how did he venture down such a narrow career path?

His interest began as a child, when gas stations would still give out free maps. He started a collection at age 6 — a strange hobby for a kid, he acknowledges.

[LM117]

My thought was that the Smart Road was going to eventually become I-73.

It was supposed to, but seeing as VA has yet to turn a single grain of dirt for I-73, there's little to zero chance the Smart Road will ever have I-shields.

[VTGoose]

My thought was that the Smart Road was going to eventually become I-73.

That was another one of the myths that was floating about. While it might have worked to have I-73 from the Blacksburg bypass to I-81, then concurrent with I-81 and I-581 through Roanoke, there are as many if not more problems in getting from Princeton, WVa. to Blacksburg as there are to get from Roanoke south to North Carolina. While U.S. 460 in West Virginia is a nice four-lane highway, it ends in Glen Lyn, Va. The road is four lanes from there to Blacksburg but not on any alignment that could be upgraded to interstate standards. To really work, pretty much an entirely new highway would have to be built, crossing several mountains, the New River, and areas that would be sensitive to residents who would oppose such a project (see the current fight against the pipeline being pushed to come through the area). Again, VDOT has enough projects to spend money on.

Bruce in Blacksburg

[LM117]

I agree and there's no need for I-73 to go any further than I-81 in Roanoke.

[74/171FAN]

Construction at Exit 150 (US 220, VA 220 ALT) is still essentially confined to US 11.

The Gateway Crossing (new road) portion of the project is completed.  It is planned to be open on Sunday.

Opening of the new traffic pattern was pushed back to today due to the weather.  Also note that until the summer, Exit 150A must be used for US 11 or VA 220 ALT SB (article just calls it US 220 for some reason) and Exit 150B must be used for US 220 NB only.

[hbelkins]

I agree and there's no need for I-73 to go any further than I-40 in Greensboro.

FIFY.

[Thing 342]

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:

VA-164 / MLK Fwy Extension


The extension is signed as part of VA-164, which is right now only lightly signed in Portsmouth. Here's the first sign headed southbound past Pinners' Point.


The beginning of the new freeway at London Blvd.


Looking southbound. The speed limit on the extension is a fairly slow 45 mph.


Signs for I-264 at the south end of the freeway. Sign in the distance reads END VA-164.


Looking at the new interchange from I-264 WB. The MLK Freeway is now apparently the MLK Expressway (or has it always been Expwy?).


Heading back northbound on the extension. Not sure what the covered-up sign is for. Perhaps for US-58?


Looking at the north end of the extension. The diagrammatic is a holdover from the old interchange.

[Thing 342]

(cont'd)

US-17 / Dominion Blvd Expressway
The northern portion of the Dominion Blvd project, with the freeway portion between VA-168 and VA-165 has been completed. The southern portion, which is just a widening from 2 to 4 lanes, looks to be almost complete, with the northbound lanes finished and the southbound lanes partially open.


New is this ridiculously oversized APL at the VA-168 / US-17 interchange.




Nearing the cashless toll gantry for the new bridge. Tolls will likely begin upon the completion of the entire project.


Crossing the recently-completed southbound lanes of the new bridge.


An odd gantry at the south end of the bridge.


The south end of the expressway, at Grassfield Pkwy.


One lane of the southbound carriageway is open.


Mileposts in place headed southbound.


Headed back northbound on the new lanes.


The start of the expressway, headed northbound.


New signs heading northbound over the VA-166 interchange, past the new bridge.


More new signs, headed northbound near the VA-190 interchange.


The north end of the freeway, at VA-168. Note that this ramp (signed as to I-464 N) and the ramp to the right (signed as I-464 / US-17 TO I-64 E) both merge onto the same road (the Oak Grove Connector, just north of where VA-168 NB peels off to join I-64), just on different sides.

[Jmiles32]

That last picture is interesting because I-64 is actually signed East/West instead of the classic I-64 to VA Beach or I-64 to Suffolk thing VDOT does to avoid confusion when I-64 does a 180 and contradicts itself pass the I-264 interchange

[froggie]

IIRC, the VA 164 shield in the first photo had an END banner above it previously, as this was the former terminus for VA 164.

The diagrammatic sign in the last of the MLK photos isn't really a "holdover to the old interchange", per se.  It dates to completion of the Pinners Point interchange ca. 2004.

[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?

[74/171FAN]

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)

[Thing 342]

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?

Unfortunately not, as I had real business down in Chesapeake to get down to, so I didn't have time. However, didn't see any new references to it along VA-164 or I-264, so it may just be discontinuous.

[1995hoo]

We are in Keysville on our way southwest. Noted some new signs on I-95 warning that "OVER 80 MPH IS RECKLESS DRIVING–PENALTIES HIGHER." Didn't see any cops on there. Seen three or four on US-360 so far.