Kentucky to Hampton Roads to Delmarva to Kentucky (Part 4)

[hbelkins]

Got up this morning with plans to make it the rest of the way home, with some exploration to see if the cutouts in Bluefield and Tazewell are still there. I had to scrap those plans, however, when I checked in with home and found out that the cat was not doing well at all.

I mentioned in the first part of the trip report that I'm not sure which drive I like best in terms of scenery, US 58 or US 460. You start seeing mountains in the distance just before Appomattox, and the terrain gets more noticeably rolling the closer you get to Lynchburg.

I got confused looking for US 221, since it's not signed on the US 29/US 460 bypass. Then I remembered that it ends at Business 29, which really doesn't make a lot of sense now that 29 is relocated. 221 should either be extended out to 29/460, or truncated back to Roanoke. I vote for the latter, because very little through traffic is going to opt for 221 over 460 between Bedford and Lynchburg.

Looks like some new construction has been done on I-81 between Salem and Christiansburg to extend the truck climbing lane for southbound traffic. The pavement looked fairly fresh and the rock cuts looked recent.

For some reason, I thought all the at-grade intersections had been removed on 460 around Blacksburg, but there is still one signalized intersection.

I had veered off into downtown Pearisburg to see if the borderless US 460 and VA 100 cutouts are still there (they are) when I got a call from home that the kitty was not doing well at all, and I needed to head on home. So I forewent my excursions into Bluefield and Tazewell, save for a drive down VA 102 where it parallels US 460. The standard and odd-shaped cutouts are still there, but I only got pictures in the direction I was going.

Noticed a traffic light for a home's driveway near Claypool Hill, which is the first time I have ever seen anything like that.

Since I have AT&T cell phone service, I lost signal shortly past Richlands on 460. I noticed another signal in a rural area several miles from Vansant. When I got to the Vansant/Grundy area, I stopped for gas since I knew that gas in Virginia would be much cheaper than in Kentucky. I then stopped at the Dairy Queen where the Pikeville meet tour broke up to use the restroom, and texted my wife from my work phone (Verizon) to tell her I was about three hours from home. She told me to call her, and when I did I found out that our cat (named Mouse) had died about 20 minutes earlier.

Work is back underway on the US 460 widening between Vansant and Grundy, and there's also a bridge replacement on 460 just about a mile on the Virginia side of the state line. Nothing really to report for the rest of the drive on home.

I got gas Friday morning right after I crossed the state line in Virginia, about 105-110 miles from home. I reset the gas mileage indicator and left it running the rest of the trip. I ended up with an average of 28.3 miles per gallon, which is pretty good. It had been 28.7 this morning but the mountainous terrain between Roanoke and Grundy took a toll on it.

[Mapmikey]

For some reason, I thought all the at-grade intersections had been removed on 460 around Blacksburg, but there is still one signalized intersection.

Construction of a DDI will begin in spring 2015 on an interchange at VA 314 to remove the last at-grade on the Blacksburg bypass.  Here is a link to what the interchange will look like.

http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/Salem/southgate/Design_Public_Hearing_Display_1.pdf


Sorry about your cat.  There are few things more tranquil in the universe than a happy kitty.

Mapmikey

[hbelkins]

Construction of a DDI will begin in spring 2015 on an interchange at VA 314 to remove the last at-grade on the Blacksburg bypass.  Here is a link to what the interchange will look like.

http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/Salem/southgate/Design_Public_Hearing_Display_1.pdf

Is there a reason that a DDI is being built there, rather than a trumpet? A trumpet wouldn't require a signal and would be more free-flowing.

Sorry about your cat.  There are few things more tranquil in the universe than a happy kitty.

Thanks. When we were working on the house we moved into 12 years ago, she just showed up. She actually moved into the house before we did. She's been having some issues for the past year, but I never expected this to happen so suddenly. If I had known, I wouldn't have traveled.

[NE2]

Construction of a DDI will begin in spring 2015 on an interchange at VA 314 to remove the last at-grade on the Blacksburg bypass.  Here is a link to what the interchange will look like.

http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/Salem/southgate/Design_Public_Hearing_Display_1.pdf

Is there a reason that a DDI is being built there, rather than a trumpet? A trumpet wouldn't require a signal and would be more free-flowing.

I don't know. It's not like the map shows a proposed extension to the southwest or something.

[74/171FAN]

Construction of a DDI will begin in spring 2015 on an interchange at VA 314 to remove the last at-grade on the Blacksburg bypass.  Here is a link to what the interchange will look like.

http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/Salem/southgate/Design_Public_Hearing_Display_1.pdf

Is there a reason that a DDI is being built there, rather than a trumpet? A trumpet wouldn't require a signal and would be more free-flowing.

I don't know. It's not like the map shows a proposed extension to the southwest or something.

Yeah the town of Blacksburg eventually wants to build a connector from the new interchange to Prices Fork Rd (SR 685) south of the community of Prices Fork.  That is why they are ultimately doing a DDI.

[Mapmikey]

Thanks. When we were working on the house we moved into 12 years ago, she just showed up. She actually moved into the house before we did. She's been having some issues for the past year, but I never expected this to happen so suddenly. If I had known, I wouldn't have traveled.

We adopted a family of 8 strays nearly 5 years ago.  Five kittens and the three parents.  We had done this becuase our 17 year old cat had passed.

He was nearly 18.  We were planning to give him an 85 Camaro and a night with a hooker for his 18th birthday...

Mapmikey