Virginia

[1995hoo]

.... And they should have at least added either Petersburg or Emporia on the 95 SOUTH overhead with Richmond - Charlottesville.

They wouldn't be likely to put Emporia on the I-95 South BGS because they want you to use I-295 to go there.

[LM117]

I just noticed a NEW BIGGER guide overhead sign on 95 South at EXIT 84A at I-295 (Richmond/Petersburg Bypass). Looks pretty nice. PLUS they did it right!!! EXIT 84A is signed as  SOUTH 295 to EAST 64 Williamsburg-Norfolk- Va Beach (Which Replaced Richmond Int'l Airport / Rocky Mount, NC) good move.

I don't fully agree with it. It's good to have Williamsburg and Norfolk on the BGS, but Rocky Mount should've been kept as the third control city, not VA Beach. Despite VA Beach's population, most people think of Norfolk when they think of Hampton Roads, not VA Beach.

Now that Rocky Mount has been taken off the BGS, there's no control city for those using I-295 South, but not looking to get on I-64.

[froggie]

A photo of this new guide sign would be useful in order to discuss.  I'm not 100%, but the way Eric described it suggests it's an overhead APL, which if true is why the arrows would be pointing up instead of down.

[Mapmikey]

A photo of this new guide sign would be useful in order to discuss.  I'm not 100%, but the way Eric described it suggests it's an overhead APL, which if true is why the arrows would be pointing up instead of down.

Would also be useful to know if they replaced one BGS assembly or all of them.  There are several sets and they all say different things.  Some mention I-85 and Durham NC.

Another already had essentially what the new sign is reported minus the APL and minus a 95 SOUTH shield...

[Beltway]

A photo of this new guide sign would be useful in order to discuss.  I'm not 100%, but the way Eric described it suggests it's an overhead APL, which if true is why the arrows would be pointing up instead of down.

Would also be useful to know if they replaced one BGS assembly or all of them.  There are several sets and they all say different things.  Some mention I-85 and Durham NC.
Another already had essentially what the new sign is reported minus the APL and minus a 95 SOUTH shield...

I live about 10 miles from this, I could take a look within the next hour or two.  Basically check the directional signs on I-95 SB in the 5 miles before I-295.

Here are the signs ... the 4-mile sign is missing, I believe that was at or near the Lewistown Road bridge that is under construction, and likely will be reinstalled as part of the project.

The signs were at the approach mile points of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and a few others.

Norfolk and Rocky Mount are well represented in the sign series.

http://www.capital-beltway.com/I95SB-I295-Sign1-092017.JPG
http://www.capital-beltway.com/I95SB-I295-Sign2-092017.JPG
http://www.capital-beltway.com/I95SB-I295-Sign3-092017.JPG
http://www.capital-beltway.com/I95SB-I295-Sign4-092017.JPG
http://www.capital-beltway.com/I95SB-I295-Sign5-092017.JPG
http://www.capital-beltway.com/I95SB-I295-Sign6-092017.JPG
http://www.capital-beltway.com/I95SB-I295-Sign7-092017.JPG
http://www.capital-beltway.com/I95SB-I295-Sign8-092017.JPG

Taken against the sun so the lighting is not great.

The last sign is I believe the subject of the sub-thread.

I don't see Petersburg ... maybe that was on the 4-mile sign?

[LM117]

Looks like I stand corrected about Rocky Mount being completely erased at that interchange.

[Mapmikey]

I don't see Petersburg ... maybe that was on the 4-mile sign?

GMSV shows the 4-mile sign to be the same sign as the one off to the side in your pic #4 (bypass diagram).

The only one to show Petersburg is apparently right after the split for 295 - https://goo.gl/maps/ueNL8qiP1a42

[froggie]

Danke, Scott.

Looks like my earlier suspicion about an Arrow-Per-Lane (APL) sign was correct.

As long as VDOT keeps supplemental guide signs for Rocky Mount, the airport, and I-85 South (specifically Scott's photos #3 and #7), I don't see anything particularly wrong with this new overhead.

[plain]

Virginia is actively installing some APLs where option lanes are present. In the near future, APLs are also going up on I-95 at Exits 75 (SB) and 79 (both directions), as well as on I-64 at Exits 186 (EB) and 190 (WB). This is on VDOT's page under Richmond Projects, specifically the I-95 Corridor Improvements in Richmond Region project (Appendix R has a look at all the work involved with this in a nutshell also, here http://virginiadot.org/projects/richmond/i-95-64_overlap_study.asp ).

Technically, on I-95 SB approaching I-295, that BGS assembly right before the new APL (the one where I-85 is posted next to I-95) is also supposed to be an APL... surprised they didn't change that one also.

Edit: just realized I forgot to link the Appendix

[OracleUsr]

Something else remarkable about that sign that i had yet to see on new guide signs in Virginia until that last pic...no Clearview!!!

I would have included I-85 south on that pull through.  You can't get to I-85 without staying on I-95, and since technically I-295 North to West 64 is not a pull-through option, just a different ramp at the same interchange, that seemed a little excessive.

Maybe on the pull through part, I would have said "South I-95 to South I-195 to South I-85 Downtown Richmond Durham NC"

But I must admit that's one hell of an OAPL.

My guess for the use of Va Beach was that it is, or at least used to be, Virginia's largest city.

[amroad17]

It's called a tourist destination.  I do not have any numbers available as far as traffic volumes, but I believe a majority of vehicles traveling on I-95 from Washington, then taking I-295 South, are heading toward I-64 East to Williamsburg or Va. Beach.  The new APL sign installed would make sense here as Rocky Mount, NC is on prior signage before the gore point of Interchange 84A.

[froggie]

^  Per 2016 VDOT traffic volumes, of the roughly 72,000 daily vehicles on southbound I-95 approaching I-295, roughly 1/3 (24K) exit onto I-295 South.  Likewise, of the roughly 35,000 daily vehicles on southbound I-295 approaching I-64, roughly 1/3 of them (12K) exit onto I-64 East.

So, in a nutshell, a chunk of them yes.  But not a majority.

[Beltway]

I would have included I-85 south on that pull through.  You can't get to I-85 without staying on I-95, and since technically I-295 North to West 64 is not a pull-through option, just a different ramp at the same interchange, that seemed a little excessive.

The sign right before that one has "South 95 to 85", with cities Richmond and Durham NC.

http://www.capital-beltway.com/I95SB-I295-Sign7-092017.JPG

[OracleUsr]

That's great until the other signs get replaced.

[1995hoo]

....

I would have included I-85 south on that pull through.  You can't get to I-85 without staying on I-95 ....

Of course you can. You take I-295 to its southern end and then just go four miles back north on I-95. I've always found it interesting that VDOT doesn't encourage people to do that instead of going through Richmond. I used to go that way on occasion when I was in law school if I had a lot of stuff in the car because there's so much less traffic on I-295. Nowadays the 70-mph speed limit on I-295 versus the 55- and 60-mph limits on I-95 might be another factor I'd consider.

[amroad17]

^  Per 2016 VDOT traffic volumes, of the roughly 72,000 daily vehicles on southbound I-95 approaching I-295, roughly 1/3 (24K) exit onto I-295 South.  Likewise, of the roughly 35,000 daily vehicles on southbound I-295 approaching I-64, roughly 1/3 of them (12K) exit onto I-64 East.

So, in a nutshell, a chunk of them yes.  But not a majority.

Well, one third of them--no majority.  Thanks. 

[Beltway]

I would have included I-85 south on that pull through.  You can't get to I-85 without staying on I-95 ....

Of course you can. You take I-295 to its southern end and then just go four miles back north on I-95. I've always found it interesting that VDOT doesn't encourage people to do that instead of going through Richmond. I used to go that way on occasion when I was in law school if I had a lot of stuff in the car because there's so much less traffic on I-295. Nowadays the 70-mph speed limit on I-295 versus the 55- and 60-mph limits on I-95 might be another factor I'd consider.

Ashland to Dinwiddie --
Per Google Maps, 59 miles and 60 minutes via I-95, and 72 miles and 70 minutes via I-295.

Not only that, but recent VDOT studies are looking at ways to upgrade the southerly I-95/I-85 ramps, and it is decidedly substandard and dicey from I-85 NB to I-95 SB.  I would not use that routing.

[plain]

I've never really been a fan of using I-295 south to I-95 north to reach I-85 either. The only time when it's really worth it is during rush hour. Outside of that, traffic along the I-95 corridor tends to move very well (especially now that all of those bridge replacement projects are completed).

Another one: using I-295 to VA 895 to I-95 to I-85 maybe would've been worth it (again, during rush hour) if it wasn't for that ridiculously high toll on VA 895.

Also, about the control cities listed on that new APL, my only gripe with it is Williamsburg. If they were gonna leave Rocky Mount off of it then they could've at least used Hopewell instead.

[KEVIN_224]

I cleaned the last one up for you a bit:


These signs are a bit confusing for this Yankee! I'm from CT and have never been past Alexandria for Virginia.

[OracleUsr]

I've done the I-85N->I-95S->I-295N before to reach I-64E (my father had a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay in Deltaville near the end of VA 33), but we used to use I-85N->I-95N->VA 10E->I-295N->I-64E instead, even when VA 895 was completed.  Heck, on a couple of occasions I've skipped the middleman and taken I-95 straight to I-64.  As long as it's not rush hour, I've never had a problem with I-95 in downtown Richmond, though I seriously question having to use a surface street to get from I-64W to I-95S.

[Mapmikey]

I've never really been a fan of using I-295 south to I-95 north to reach I-85 either. The only time when it's really worth it is during rush hour. Outside of that, traffic along the I-95 corridor tends to move very well (especially now that all of those bridge replacement projects are completed).

Another one: using I-295 to VA 895 to I-95 to I-85 maybe would've been worth it (again, during rush hour) if it wasn't for that ridiculously high toll on VA 895.

Also, about the control cities listed on that new APL, my only gripe with it is Williamsburg. If they were gonna leave Rocky Mount off of it then they could've at least used Hopewell instead.

I routinely use US 460 Bus (County Drive) to make the connection between I-85 and I-295.  Per Google it is the same time as using 85-95-295 but 2 miles shorter.

I also use 95 straight through as a change of scenery and it is much better than it used to be but it doesn't take much to make it slower...

[Beltway]

I've done the I-85N->I-95S->I-295N before to reach I-64E (my father had a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay in Deltaville near the end of VA 33), but we used to use I-85N->I-95N->VA 10E->I-295N->I-64E instead, even when VA 895 was completed.  Heck, on a couple of occasions I've skipped the middleman and taken I-95 straight to I-64.  As long as it's not rush hour, I've never had a problem with I-95 in downtown Richmond, though I seriously question having to use a surface street to get from I-64W to I-95S.

I don't mind paying the toll for occasional use of Route 895, like a half dozen round trips a year.

I do the same thing with the I-95 and I-495 HOT lanes, and the toll there is usually much higher like 5 times or more  than that of Route 895.

There is a current resurfacing project on the mainline of Route 895.

[1995hoo]

My point was mainly that of course you can use I-295 southbound to reach I-95, since OracleUsr said you can't.

The times I used to use that route–always going the other direction, though–were times when I had enough stuff crammed into the car that my view out the right side and the rearview was compromised, so I opted for I-295 because the lower volume of traffic, plus fewer onramps, meant there was less need to change lanes than there might be on I-95. Just a matter of what I judged most convenient under those particular circumstances.

One time I was considering I-295 to I-95 to VA-40 but never got around to trying it. Obviously it wouldn't have been any faster.

I used to go up I-85 and then connect to VA-5 via the Harrison Bridge to visit my brother at William & Mary, but it's been 20 years and at this point I can't say I really recall which routes I used to do that.

[LM117]

Not only that, but recent VDOT studies are looking at ways to upgrade the southerly I-95/I-85 ramps, and it is decidedly substandard and dicey from I-85 NB to I-95 SB.  I would not use that routing.

I used to go through that interchange a lot when I lived in Farmville a few years ago whenever I made my trips to NC and I hated it every time (even less fun driving a 17ft. Ryder truck).

I wonder why VDOT never considered extending I-295 westward to I-85. It would've allowed traffic to go from I-85 to I-295 without even having to go through Petersburg and it's interchange.

[cpzilliacus]

It's called a tourist destination.  I do not have any numbers available as far as traffic volumes, but I believe a majority of vehicles traveling on I-95 from Washington, then taking I-295 South, are heading toward I-64 East to Williamsburg or Va. Beach.  The new APL sign installed would make sense here as Rocky Mount, NC is on prior sighttps://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=294.2450nage before the gore point of Interchange 84A.

From metropolitan Washington, D.C. I would normally stay far away from I-95 and I-64 around Richmond to travel to Virginia Beach.  In my experience, U.S. 301 south across the Nice Bridge and then U.S. 17 (Tidewater Trail) from Port Royal to I-64 in Newport News is a lower-stress and easier trip, with relatively little traffic until Gloucester County, and even then not that bad.  It is just under 100 miles from Port Royal to I-64 Exit 258.

Alternatively, from Northern Virginia, I-95 south to Exit 126 near Massaponax, then U.S. 17 east and south from there. 

Being Virginia, speeding is not advised, especially through  Tappahannock and around Saluda.

Because I-64 Exit 258 is east of I-664 (Exit 264), the option of using the Monitor—Merrimac Memorial Bridge—Tunnel is preserved if the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel is severely congested.