Virginia

[froggie]

There's also a constraint there - the NS line between Manassas and Front Royal (on which a future Haymarket stop would be located) is a single-track affair, so it will not be able to handle that many trains.

Given precedent elsewhere, the line would probably be double-tracked to Haymarket before VRE would run trains.  The new overpasses at US 29 are designed to accommodate three tracks underneath.

[Mapmikey]

This extension has been in the works in one way or another since 2003...

http://www.vre.org/about/G-H/archives.html

The 2009 feasibility report is here - http://www.vre.org/about/G-H/PDF/VRE_Executive_Summary_09_28_2009.pdf

Mapmikey

[MillTheRoadgeek]

Wow. So much buzz about improving I-66, but I think they should've made more general-purpose lanes and space for the Orange Line (as well as room for two light rail spurs at the 28 and 234 interchanges to Manassas) past the terminus in Vienna.

[cpzilliacus]

[Manchester Bridge carries U.S. 60 over the James River]

Richmond.com: Why Richmond, Why?!? Bridge Projects Getting People Excited

Now, to explain the work on the Manchester Bridge Rehabilitation Project we contacted Sharon R. North, the public information manager for the City of Richmond Department of Public Works.

"This is a bridge rehabilitation project that consists of bridge cleaning, painting of structural steel, joint and deck repairs, replacement of handrails and guardrails along the bridge. The cost of the construction repairs is $6.5 million and is scheduled to be completed by the summer 2015," she wrote.

[froggie]

I'm not sure they need a 3-2-2-3 cross-section for I-66.  I'd think a 4-2-4 would be appropriate.  Either way, it will require some right-of-way just west of the Beltway, which NOBODY will like...

[MillTheRoadgeek]

I'm not sure they need a 3-2-2-3 cross-section for I-66.  I'd think a 4-2-4 would be appropriate.  Either way, it will require some right-of-way just west of the Beltway, which NOBODY will like...

Umm, the 495 Express Lanes only took a couple of houses by the Gallows Road exit on Lutrell Road, where there was this funky house that stuck outside the sound walls. Remember?

[froggie]

I do.  But the Beltway also had a wider right-of-way to begin with than I-66 does immediately west of the Beltway.

[1995hoo]

Apparently that house that stuck through the wall was purchased by Fluor or Transurban and was used as a field office until it came time to demolish it.

Acquiring right-of-way along I-66 would be a major expense and is a reason why just about any improvement will wind up being tolled. I was driving on that road today (Fair Oaks east to the Beltway) shortly before 11:00 AM. There is really no good time to drive on there. Traffic was moving at around 55 to 65 the whole way, but it's just a nerve-wracking drive (and I was in the green arrow lane for much of the way).

[mtfallsmikey]

And I remember as a kid when 66 was just another 4 lane road when it was only open from Gainesville to the Beltway, little used, like Corridor H is now.

[mtfallsmikey]

This poor old covered bridge just keeps getting hammered... right off Rt. 11 south of Mt. Jackson

http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2014/07/meems-bridge-damaged-repairs-underway.php

[cpzilliacus]

And I remember as a kid when 66 was just another 4 lane road when it was only open from Gainesville to the Beltway, little used, like Corridor H is now.

I remember I-66 from those days (there was a sign westbound west of I-495 informing drivers that it was only open to Gainesville), but there were times when it could be pretty busy. 

[cpzilliacus]

This poor old covered bridge just keeps getting hammered... right off Rt. 11 south of Mt. Jackson

http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2014/07/meems-bridge-damaged-repairs-underway.php

What's needed is a rigid overhead "overheight preventer," fabricated from a steel I-beam or two, before entering the bridge from either side.   

VDOT used to have something like that at the approaches to the Barrett's Ferry Bridge on Va. 5 crossing the Chickahominy River. 

[1995hoo]

And I remember as a kid when 66 was just another 4 lane road when it was only open from Gainesville to the Beltway, little used, like Corridor H is now.

I remember I-66 from those days (there was a sign westbound west of I-495 informing drivers that it was only open to Gainesville), but there were times when it could be pretty busy. 

I don't recall those days, even though I know I rode on I-66 during the 1970s, but I do recall seeing a medium-sized ground-mounted green sign off to one side somewhere between Manassas and Gainesville saying that I-66 was now open to I-81. I believe that must have been sometime around 1981, as the segment between Haymarket and Gainesville opened in December 1980.

(I do remember all the hoopla when I-66 opened inside the Beltway just before Christmas 1982. The Washington Post devoted most of the "Virginia Weekly" section to covering the new highway.)

This poor old covered bridge just keeps getting hammered... right off Rt. 11 south of Mt. Jackson

http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2014/07/meems-bridge-damaged-repairs-underway.php

What's needed is a rigid overhead "overheight preventer," fabricated from a steel I-beam or two, before entering the bridge from either side.   

VDOT used to have something like that at the approaches to the Barrett's Ferry Bridge on Va. 5 crossing the Chickahominy River. 

Heh. Visit http://11foot8.com/ and you'll see those rigid protectors sometimes have.....interesting side effects.

[mtfallsmikey]

That would totally ruin the whole experience. Stupidity must be stopped before that happens.   

[cpzilliacus]

Heh. Visit http://11foot8.com/ and you'll see those rigid protectors sometimes have.....interesting side effects.

Yeah, I have watched some of those videos. 

In the case of that bridge, because it is in an urbanized area, it may be hard to "set back" an overheight preventer far enough to STOP tall vehicles from reaching the bridge, though I wonder if the agency in charge of the street (City of Durham or NCDOT?) has considered one of those "waterfall" STOP systems, as are used in Australia to keep overheight vehicles away from tunnels. 

That would totally ruin the whole experience. Stupidity must be stopped before that happens.   

My intent is to have the stupidity preventers some distance back from the actual bridge - and far enough back that people can photograph and otherwise enjoy the bridge without seeing them.

A government agency in the D.C. area uses such devices (low steel barriers) to keep unwanted trucks away from roads where they are not supposed to be - and where they might present a hazard to the agency and its employees.

[oscar]

What's needed is a rigid overhead "overheight preventer," fabricated from a steel I-beam or two, before entering the bridge from either side.   

VDOT used to have something like that at the approaches to the Barrett's Ferry Bridge on Va. 5 crossing the Chickahominy River. 

The Alaska equivalents (using one I-beam) are there called "headache bars".  They are used, among other places, on side roads passing under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

[cpzilliacus]

What's needed is a rigid overhead "overheight preventer," fabricated from a steel I-beam or two, before entering the bridge from either side.   

VDOT used to have something like that at the approaches to the Barrett's Ferry Bridge on Va. 5 crossing the Chickahominy River. 

The Alaska equivalents (using one I-beam) are there called "headache bars".  They are used, among other places, on side roads passing under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

If you hit one, you get a headache!

[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

[cpzilliacus]

Japolink.com: Never Speed In Virginia: Lessons From My Three Days In Jail

I knew I would be in trouble a month earlier, when I blasted the ZL1 down a rural straightaway in Virginia and then saw the state trooper's blue-and-silver Ford Taurus peeking out from the side of the road. I slowed down when I saw him, but his lights came on right away.

The trooper pulled me over and said he had me on radar doing 93 mph in a 55 mph zone. I figured it would be a nasty ticket. It wasn't, because I got nailed in Virginia, a state where the police and the courts take speeding more seriously than possibly anywhere else in America. A fun day in a very powerful car just got a lot less fun.

On Friday, July 25, my wife dropped me off at the Rappahannock Shenandoah Warren Regional Jail in Front Royal. I was escorted inside by a guard, handcuffed, booked, and had my mugshot taken. I was given a set of orange and white striped jail scrubs and a plastic mat and ushered into a big room with two stories of cells on either side. This would be home for the weekend.

I'm not trying to sound like a hardass or anything, but I wasn't scared. I just wanted to get the three days I had been sentenced to over with.

[froggie]

If he was on US 211 in Rappahannock County in a 55 zone, he was somewhere between Sperryville and Amissville, as the 2-lane portion from Sperryville west to Skyline Dr never gets above 45.

Been on 211 numerous times....pleasant drive.  But not a road you want to go over 70 on, and not just because of the enforcement.  Much of it is hilly with limited sight distances.  It's for this that I have little sympathy for the article commenters and the insane speeds they said they were going when they got pulled over.

[cpzilliacus]

If he was on US 211 in Rappahannock County in a 55 zone, he was somewhere between Sperryville and Amissville, as the 2-lane portion from Sperryville west to Skyline Dr never gets above 45.

Been on 211 numerous times....pleasant drive.  But not a road you want to go over 70 on, and not just because of the enforcement.  Much of it is hilly with limited sight distances.  It's for this that I have little sympathy for the article commenters and the insane speeds they said they were going when they got pulled over.

Agreed.  U.S. 211 is a very classic Virginia four-lane arterial highway between Sperryville and Warrenton, but even there, I think 60 or 65 is about as fast as I want to go (and I have seen speed limit enforcement on this road many times by both county sheriff's deputies and Virginia State Police, usually in the median). 

But as you say, it's a two-lane arterial from the west side of the Blue Ridge all the way to Sperryville, and the speeds mentioned in the article are not appropriate.  I do not recall the speed limit, but given the curvy nature of the road, especially east of Skyline Drive, your 45 sounds about right.

One thing not mentioned in the article (but the commenters talk about it) - the consequences of a reckless driving ticket in Virginia can vary wildly depending on what county the summons is issued in. In some counties, the Commonwealth's Attorney and the judges will not cut anyone any slack.  In other counties, it can be pleaded down to a much less serious charge.

I do think that the Virginia reckless driving laws (unfortunately) keep the crotch rocketers and their Hayabusas and other "sport" motorcycles on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, but we will never enact any statutes like Virginia's as long as Del. Joe Vallario is chair of the committee that hears such things in the state House of Delegates, since he represents drunk and reckless drivers in his law practice.

[froggie]

Agreed.  U.S. 211 is a very classic Virginia four-lane arterial highway between Sperryville and Warrenton, but even there, I think 60 or 65 is about as fast as I want to go (and I have seen speed limit enforcement on this road many times by both county sheriff's deputies and Virginia State Police, usually in the median).

I only occasionally saw speed enforcement along 211.  But when I did, they ignored me...I typically went low 60s.

But as you say, it's a two-lane arterial from the west side of the Blue Ridge all the way to Sperryville, and the speeds mentioned in the article are not appropriate.  I do not recall the speed limit, but given the curvy nature of the road, especially east of Skyline Drive, your 45 sounds about right.

45 from Sperryville to the foot of the hill, 35 on the hill climb, 45 on the Page County side of the hill climb.

One thing not mentioned in the article (but the commenters talk about it) - the consequences of a reckless driving ticket in Virginia can vary wildly depending on what county the summons is issued in. In some counties, the Commonwealth's Attorney and the judges will not cut anyone any slack.  In other counties, it can be pleaded down to a much less serious charge.

Another thing not mentioned in the article:  it's at the discretion of the officer whether a reckless charge is included or not.  It's not an automatic for the 20+ over the limit part, as I learned while sitting in court for my own (NON-reckless) speeding ticket in Charles City County.  Not sure if the over 80 is automatic or not, as the case I overheard was not an over-80 (was a 59 in a 35, IIRC)

[1995hoo]

The cop has discretion on the "over 80 mph" part as well. I was at the Fairfax courthouse once and saw a judge ask a cop why he didn't write a reckless for a guy who was clocked at 98 mph on I-66 between Fair Oaks and Route 28. The cop said he didn't feel the driver was endangering anyone because the weather was dry, there was a full moon with no clouds, there was almost nobody else on the road, and the guy was driving a new Corvette such that the cop interpreted it as poor judgment by someone wanting to try out his new sports car. The judge said "OK." I've always thought that was a good example of a cop using discretion. I do not remember what penalty the defendant received because I found the aforementioned exchange more interesting.

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.

[Thing 342]

If he was on US 211 in Rappahannock County in a 55 zone, he was somewhere between Sperryville and Amissville, as the 2-lane portion from Sperryville west to Skyline Dr never gets above 45.

Been on 211 numerous times....pleasant drive.  But not a road you want to go over 70 on, and not just because of the enforcement.  Much of it is hilly with limited sight distances.  It's for this that I have little sympathy for the article commenters and the insane speeds they said they were going when they got pulled over.

I agree. Speed limits in VA are definitely too low, but there is truly no good reason to go over 90 anywhere in the state. IMO, they should drop the 80+ part of the law and just stick with the 20 mph over law. Also, where are these people driving that allows them to do over 90?

[cpzilliacus]

Another thing not mentioned in the article:  it's at the discretion of the officer whether a reckless charge is included or not.  It's not an automatic for the 20+ over the limit part, as I learned while sitting in court for my own (NON-reckless) speeding ticket in Charles City County.  Not sure if the over 80 is automatic or not, as the case I overheard was not an over-80 (was a 59 in a 35, IIRC)

Hoo has mentioned this before, and he repeats it downthread.  I have asked Virginia troopers about that provision, and they say the same thing - it is at the discretion of the officer writing the ticket.

The cop has discretion on the "over 80 mph" part as well. I was at the Fairfax courthouse once and saw a judge ask a cop why he didn't write a reckless for a guy who was clocked at 98 mph on I-66 between Fair Oaks and Route 28. The cop said he didn't feel the driver was endangering anyone because the weather was dry, there was a full moon with no clouds, there was almost nobody else on the road, and the guy was driving a new Corvette such that the cop interpreted it as poor judgment by someone wanting to try out his new sports car. The judge said "OK." I've always thought that was a good example of a cop using discretion. I do not remember what penalty the defendant received because I found the aforementioned exchange more interesting.

98 MPH on an empty I-66 between Gainesville (or maybe Manassas if we go back a few years) and U.S. 50 at Fair Oaks in the middle of the night is not reckless driving.   Stupid, perhaps, but not reckless.

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.