Virginia

[RoadPelican]

And let's not forget Sandy happened in late October and still did immense damage along the Jersey Shore.  Plus, the point about Hurricanes entering colder areas is not valid because most hurricanes occur in August and September when all of the northeast is still warm.

Growing up in Maryland, my parents said the best time to go to Ocean City was in September because the water temperature was still at or just under it's peak high of around 80 degrees.  It's amazing how many people travel down the ocean on Memorial Day Weekend when the water temp is only in the UPPER 50s!!!!

[Alps]

And let's not forget Sandy happened in late October and still did immense damage along the Jersey Shore.  Plus, the point about Hurricanes entering colder areas is not valid because most hurricanes occur in August and September when all of the northeast is still warm.

Growing up in Maryland, my parents said the best time to go to Ocean City was in September because the water temperature was still at or just under it's peak high of around 80 degrees.  It's amazing how many people travel down the ocean on Memorial Day Weekend when the water temp is only in the UPPER 50s!!!!

Yep, something about longer daylight brings people out in late May/early June whereas mid September is actually better water temps if you catch warm enough air.

[hbelkins]

Part of the issue with the remnants of Sandy was that it interacted with a very strong cold front moving across the country.

[sprjus4]

The I-64 Segment III widening project on the Peninsula is now just about complete.

All 3 eastbound lanes from MM 233 to MM 242 are now open to traffic, and all 3 westbound lanes will be open by next week.

All Eastbound Lanes to Open Throughout I-64 Widening Segment III Project

YORK COUNTY — Starting as early as the afternoon on Nov. 19, motorists on I-64 east will begin to experience safer, improved travels just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday with the opening of all three newly completed eastbound travel lanes between Route 199/Newman Road (exit 234) and Route 199/Humelsine Parkway (exit 242).

This significant milestone of the I-64 Widening Segment III Project adds an additional 6 miles of interstate widening and improvements to the 2 miles previously opened eastbound last June, as well as connects to the nearly 13 miles previously widened through the first and second I-64 Widening Project Segments completed in 2017 and 2019.

Crews are working diligently towards the full opening of the remaining 8 miles of travel lanes westbound–including the remaining portion of the new westbound Queens Creek bridge–scheduled to open as early as mid-week next week.

Following the openings of the third travel lanes in each direction, lane closures may continue to take place as needed to finish final construction and maintenance items over the next few weeks.

To learn more about the I-64 Widening Segment III Project, please visit: http://i64widening.org/learn_more/segment_3.asp.

Following the completion of this project, only 28 miles will remain between Richmond and Williamsburg that will still be 4 lanes. There are not any actively planned projects on this segment due to lack of funding, so for the time being, I-64 will finally be free of any major construction zones north of I-664 all the way to I-295.

[sprjus4]

^ Looking at traffic cams, it appears that all 6 lanes are now fully open to traffic, both directions.

[sprjus4]

All Westbound Lanes to Open Throughout I-64 Widening Segment III Project

All three newly completed travel lanes on I-64 west between exits 234 and 242 to open as early as Nov. 24 following completion of new Queens Creek bridges

Starting as early as Nov. 24, Peninsula motorists on I-64 may add another thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday–an improved, safer driving experience on I-64 with the opening of a new, third travel lane westbound throughout the I-64 Widening Segment III Project. This comes less than one week after all the eastbound travel lanes opened to traffic, marking the completion of interstate widening from two to three travel lanes in each direction between Route 199/Newman Road (exit 234) and Route 199/Humelsine Parkway (exit 242) in York County.

Along with this opening of all westbound travel lanes also marks the completion of the two fully reconstructed interstate bridges over scenic Queens Creek, now widened with three travel lanes in each direction open as well.

This significant milestone of the I-64 Widening Segment III Project adds an additional 8 miles of interstate widening and improvements to the nearly 13 miles previously widened through the first and second I-64 Widening Project Segments completed in 2017 and 2019.

Following these new lane openings in each direction, day- and nighttime lane closures will continue to take place as needed to finish final construction and maintenance items over the next few weeks. The I-64 Widening Segment III Project is anticipated to be complete in its entirety by the end of this year.

[1995hoo]

https://twitter.com/statter911/status/1465434639816867845?s=21

[LM117]

https://twitter.com/statter911/status/1465434639816867845?s=21

You'd think the cops would be catching on to this shit by now...

[1995hoo]

Plus it's illegal for a truck of that size to enter the express lanes, period–no vehicles with more than two axles are permitted.

[Mapmikey]

Plus it's illegal for a truck of that size to enter the express lanes, period–no vehicles with more than two axles are permitted.

I still see semis in the 95 express lanes almost every week.  Not as many on the 495 lanes as there used to be...

[1995hoo]

Plus it's illegal for a truck of that size to enter the express lanes, period–no vehicles with more than two axles are permitted.

I still see semis in the 95 express lanes almost every week.  Not as many on the 495 lanes as there used to be...

Doesn't really surprise me. They were allowed for many years, except for near the old southern end around Dumfries where they've always been banned due to the weigh station.

[1995hoo]

Now he's starting to post crashes on the other side of I-395 when people decide to swerve wildly across multiple lanes in an attempt to access southbound Route 1 through Crystal City.

https://twitter.com/STATter911/status/1466100082269372427

[plain]

For the SB crash, here's the dumbest part: they could've just stayed right and used the exit for the Pentagon and easily made their way back around to Pentagon City and US 1 SB.

I'm actually shocked that more vehicles weren't involved here.

[plain]

I friend of mine in Newport News tipped me off to something he saw on the news today about I-64 in Norfolk. VDOT is having a virtual meeting tomorrow about converting the shoulders to Express Shoulder Lanes, but between I-564 and I-264 (eastern). My thing is the existing HOV Express Lanes in the median on this stretch is still very underutilized. I couldn't find the story on that news station's site (WAVY) but I found it from VDOT.

https://www.64expresslanes.org/under_design/norfolk.asp


What I did find in WAVY's site was this about a possible new Kings Highway Bridge in Suffolk, but still has no funding.

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/suffolk/suffolk-city-staff-recommends-rebuilding-kings-highway-bridge-on-new-route/

[sprjus4]

I friend of mine in Newport News tipped me off to something he saw on the news today about I-64 in Norfolk. VDOT is having a virtual meeting tomorrow about converting the shoulders to Express Shoulder Lanes, but between I-564 and I-264 (eastern). My thing is the existing HOV Express Lanes in the median on this stretch is still very underutilized. I couldn't find the story on that news station's site (WAVY) but I found it from VDOT.

https://www.64expresslanes.org/under_design/norfolk.asp

I wouldn't say underutilized necessarily, it gets decent usage during peak hours, but this project is a waste, IMO. Not only in terms of usage in the off peak direction, but money too.

My biggest gripe of the project, however, isn't the HO/T concept. It's the design. Instead of properly reconstructing the entire highway to accommodate a full left paved shoulder that can be used as a part time HO/T lane, they are simply shifting the right shoulder to the shoulder. The typical section of the project calls for a two foot right shoulder along the entire project limits in the general purpose lanes, including the Chesapeake Blvd bridge replacement. Additionally, the project will retain the already dangerous left entrance ramp from Tidewater Drive heading westbound, that will now dump into the express lanes directly.

The idea that they want to eliminate the right paved shoulder entirely, full time, on a 7 mile segment of 6 lane urban interstate highway is extremely dangerous, IMO, and blatantly violates any sort of modern highway design along with interstate standards. And the retention of the left entrance is not helping things either. Both of these elements just makes it seem like it's being done on the cheap (still over $300 million however), and rushed, given they want this done before 2025.

[TheGrassGuy]

John Mosby and William Byrd highways are no more. Their new names are the Little River Turnpike and the Leesburg Pike respectively, which are really just their original names before segregationists changed them.

[1995hoo]

Harry Byrd, not William Byrd.

[roadman65]

John Mosby and William Byrd highways are no more. Their new names are the Little River Turnpike and the Leesburg Pike respectively, which are really just their original names before segregationists changed them.

What about Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington?  What about it statewide on US 1 along with Lee Highway on US 11, 211, and 29?

[odditude]

John Mosby and William Byrd highways are no more. Their new names are the Little River Turnpike and the Leesburg Pike respectively, which are really just their original names before segregationists changed them.

What about Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington?  What about it statewide on US 1 along with Lee Highway on US 11, 211, and 29?

this was a Loudoun County change, not statewide.

[1995hoo]

Arlington already renamed their portion of Jeff Davis Highway as Richmond Highway.

Fairfax County is exploring renaming Lee Highway and Lee—Jackson Memorial Highway. I expect Loudoun's action will result in the latter becoming Little River Turnpike.

[froggie]

^ Presuming you're referring to the US 50 portion.  I thought the VA 236 portion was already Little River Turnpike.

[WillWeaverRVA]

John Mosby and William Byrd highways are no more. Their new names are the Little River Turnpike and the Leesburg Pike respectively, which are really just their original names before segregationists changed them.

What about Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington?  What about it statewide on US 1 along with Lee Highway on US 11, 211, and 29?

All of what used to be Jeff Davis Highway (US 1 and US 301) will be known as Emancipation Highway by state law effective on January 1st wherever a locality hasn't given it some other name.

US 1 is now Richmond Highway in Arlington, Alexandria (where it isn't Patrick St and Henry St), Fairfax, and Prince William (soon), as well as in the City of Richmond (where it isn't Brook Rd, Azalea Av, Chamberlayne Av, Belvidere St, or Cowardin Av).

Fredericksburg is letting the name become Emancipation Highway.

Caroline and Chesterfield are simply naming the road "Route 1", even though Jeff Davis Hwy in Chesterfield is also US 301.

US 1 has always had local names (or no name) everywhere else it runs - Washington Hwy in Hanover, Brook Rd in Henrico, Boulevard in Colonial Heights, several streets in Petersburg, and Boydton Plank Rd in Dinwiddie and Brunswick.

[1995hoo]

^ Presuming you're referring to the US 50 portion.  I thought the VA 236 portion was already Little River Turnpike.

No part of Lee—Jackson Memorial Highway is part of VA-236. You're correct that VA-236 in Fairfax County is Little River Turnpike (I know that quite well–I grew up in a neighborhood accessible only via Route 236; my mom still lives there). In Fairfax City, of course, it becomes Main Street (and North Street for a short stretch), but Route 236 ends at the crossroads in Fairfax City where it meets US-29 and US-50, the intersection where Best Products used to be and just east of the row of car dealers. If you continue straight from westbound 236 at that intersection, you're on US-50; US-50 then remains Main Street according to some business addresses, or Fairfax Boulevard according to newer street signs and some other business addresses, until you hit the county line. At that point it becomes Lee—Jackson Memorial Highway. It's that section, from Fairfax City west to the Loudoun County line, that is likely to be renamed Little River Turnpike.


Edited to add something I forgot to say earlier: While I'm not big on the whole renaming fad in general, I have to think there's some sense in restoring the name Little River Turnpike at least as far west as Aldie. Little River is the name of an actual river and it passes under the road in question in Aldie at that spiffy-looking bridge with the stone walls on either side. You can trace the river's 23.4-mile route on Google Maps if you're so inclined; it rises just east of Marshall, flows up to Aldie, and flows into Goose Creek near Oatlands. The road is named for that river, so it makes some level of sense to restore the name so as to serve the area where the river is actually located.

[AlexandriaVA]

I was driving down in the Tidewater area last week, and it got me thinking about the Norfolk-area interstate numbering plan.

Is there are rationale for having I-64 end where it does? I'm going to guess that maybe I-64 was the original interstate in the area, and made a fishhook shape, and that the rest of I-664 and the others came in later.

That said, you don't have to change illogical numbering plans (e.g. DC with 395 et. al.)

I would argue:

I-64 ends in Hampton VA at the Coliseum.
I-664 constitutes the Hampton Roads Beltway, a perfect loop of I-664 only.
I-564, I-264, and I-494 remain as-is.

And then you still have several options for 3DI spurs/bypasses for future growth, if needed.

[1995hoo]

I was driving down in the Tidewater area last week, and it got me thinking about the Norfolk-area interstate numbering plan.

Is there are rationale for having I-64 end where it does? I'm going to guess that maybe I-64 was the original interstate in the area, and made a fishhook shape, and that the rest of I-664 and the others came in later.

That said, you don't have to change illogical numbering plans (e.g. DC with 395 et. al.)

I would argue:

I-64 ends in Hampton VA at the Coliseum.
I-664 constitutes the Hampton Roads Beltway, a perfect loop of I-664 only.
I-564, I-264, and I-494 remain as-is.

And then you still have several options for 3DI spurs/bypasses for future growth, if needed.

I-664 came substantially later. The bridge-tunnel opened in 1992; the segment from what's now Exit 10 down to the interchange with I-64 and I-264 opened in 1993.