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Virginia

Started by Alex, February 04, 2009, 12:22:16 AM

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Jmiles32

#2825
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 11:06:10 PM
Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 12, 2018, 10:39:57 PM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 07:39:11 AM
I-95 needs more thru capacity.  Adding auxiliary lanes on I-95 between each exit would help but would not address that.
^Agreed which is a large part of why VDOT is actively studying how to improve the US-301/VA-207 corridor as the main alternative for long distance traffic wishing to bypass the Northern Virginia area.

Unless all of it is freeway between I-95/VA-207 and MD I-695, it won't provide much traffic relief to I-95, if any, considering that MD US-301 in southern MD has at least 50 traffic signals.

Perhaps VDOT hopes that by upgrading their portion of the US-301/VA-207 corridor, the pressure will then be all on Maryland to consider at least somewhat improve their section, even if it's just to the MD-5 split north of Waldorf.

Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 11:06:10 PM
Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 12, 2018, 10:39:57 PM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 07:39:11 AM
I would like to see an in-depth traffic study to see what if any impact would occur to the HOT lanes with 4th lane widening of the general purpose roadways, and on a year to year basis in the future.   Also quantify the cost of a compensation event, make an estimate to see how affordable it would be for VDOT.
IMHO it wouldn't require an in-depth traffic study to figure out that by adding a 4th lane past Woodbridge, arguably the worst consistent bottleneck in the region and in order to avoid it, a big reason why so many single drivers are willing to pay to use the HOT lanes, Transburban could indeed face a large loss of HOT lanes revenue if it is removed by simply just extending the 4th lane south. The FredEX project will get rid of the Garrisonville and hopefully the Fredricksburg bottlenecks, therefore after 2022 making Woodbridge really the only major one left due to that lane drop.
Look, I am a systems analyst and data analyst, and I can't accept a comment like "it wouldn't require an in-depth traffic study".  I want to see a VDOT study of exactly what the impacts would be to the HOT lane usage and the revenue, and quantify exactly what would be the cost of any compensation event.

Don't get me wrong, I am in no way opposed to a VDOT study regarding the potential impact widening I-95 would have on the HOT lanes. I just don't think that you(and Transburban) will like the findings.
Aspiring Transportation Planner at Virginia Tech. Go Hokies!


Beltway

Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 13, 2018, 12:24:35 AM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 11:06:10 PM
Unless all of it is freeway between I-95/VA-207 and MD I-695, it won't provide much traffic relief to I-95, if any, considering that MD US-301 in southern MD has at least 50 traffic signals.
Perhaps VDOT hopes that by upgrading their portion of the US-301/VA-207 corridor, the pressure will then be all on Maryland to consider at least somewhat improve their section, even if it's just to the MD-5 split north of Waldorf.

Good luck getting Maryland to do any highway improvement that they don't want to make.

Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 13, 2018, 12:24:35 AM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 11:06:10 PM
Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 12, 2018, 10:39:57 PM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 07:39:11 AM
I would like to see an in-depth traffic study to see what if any impact would occur to the HOT lanes with 4th lane widening of the general purpose roadways, and on a year to year basis in the future.   Also quantify the cost of a compensation event, make an estimate to see how affordable it would be for VDOT.
IMHO it wouldn't require an in-depth traffic study to figure out that by adding a 4th lane past Woodbridge, arguably the worst consistent bottleneck in the region and in order to avoid it, a big reason why so many single drivers are willing to pay to use the HOT lanes, Transburban could indeed face a large loss of HOT lanes revenue if it is removed by simply just extending the 4th lane south. The FredEX project will get rid of the Garrisonville and hopefully the Fredricksburg bottlenecks, therefore after 2022 making Woodbridge really the only major one left due to that lane drop.
Look, I am a systems analyst and data analyst, and I can't accept a comment like "it wouldn't require an in-depth traffic study".  I want to see a VDOT study of exactly what the impacts would be to the HOT lane usage and the revenue, and quantify exactly what would be the cost of any compensation event.
Don't get me wrong, I am in no way opposed to a VDOT study regarding the potential impact widening I-95 would have on the HOT lanes. I just don't think that you(and Transburban) will like the findings.

NO GOOD!  VDOT does the study, then we can talk about it.  Until then it is just blowing smoke.
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froggie

Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 11:06:10 PM
Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 12, 2018, 10:39:57 PM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 07:39:11 AM
I-95 needs more thru capacity.  Adding auxiliary lanes on I-95 between each exit would help but would not address that.
^Agreed which is a large part of why VDOT is actively studying how to improve the US-301/VA-207 corridor as the main alternative for long distance traffic wishing to bypass the Northern Virginia area.

Unless all of it is freeway between I-95/VA-207 and MD I-695, it won't provide much traffic relief to I-95, if any, considering that MD US-301 in southern MD has at least 50 traffic signals.

This would be a "nice to have", but won't really benefit I-95.  In the grand scheme of things, there isn't a whole lot of long-distance traffic on I-95 through the D.C. area compared to local traffic (I've estimated no more than 30K in the past).  And there's enough latent demand in the D.C. area and Northern Virginia to where any diversion of through traffic you get from I-95 will quickly fill back up with local traffic.

Jmiles32

Quote from: Beltway on January 13, 2018, 12:34:18 AM
Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 13, 2018, 12:24:35 AM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 11:06:10 PM
Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 12, 2018, 10:39:57 PM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 07:39:11 AM
I would like to see an in-depth traffic study to see what if any impact would occur to the HOT lanes with 4th lane widening of the general purpose roadways, and on a year to year basis in the future.   Also quantify the cost of a compensation event, make an estimate to see how affordable it would be for VDOT.
IMHO it wouldn't require an in-depth traffic study to figure out that by adding a 4th lane past Woodbridge, arguably the worst consistent bottleneck in the region and in order to avoid it, a big reason why so many single drivers are willing to pay to use the HOT lanes, Transburban could indeed face a large loss of HOT lanes revenue if it is removed by simply just extending the 4th lane south. The FredEX project will get rid of the Garrisonville and hopefully the Fredricksburg bottlenecks, therefore after 2022 making Woodbridge really the only major one left due to that lane drop.
Look, I am a systems analyst and data analyst, and I can't accept a comment like "it wouldn't require an in-depth traffic study".  I want to see a VDOT study of exactly what the impacts would be to the HOT lane usage and the revenue, and quantify exactly what would be the cost of any compensation event.
Don't get me wrong, I am in no way opposed to a VDOT study regarding the potential impact widening I-95 would have on the HOT lanes. I just don't think that you(and Transburban) will like the findings.

NO GOOD!  VDOT does the study, then we can talk about it.  Until then it is just blowing smoke.

Fair enough, although the findings of this study may give us somewhat of a ballpark answer:
http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/fredericksburg/spotsylvania-lawmaker-proposes-bill-to-add-lanes-to--mile/article_9231bc58-f743-59d3-a4f7-a353e5588bc5.html
QuoteVDOT spokeswoman Kelly Hannon wrote in an email that the cost per mile of Cole's proposal would vary based on "the surrounding terrain, development, utilities, environmental context, required right-of-way and other factors."

"The agency will work to provide the General Assembly with cost and impact information as the legislation is under consideration,"  she added.
Aspiring Transportation Planner at Virginia Tech. Go Hokies!

Beltway

Quote from: froggie on January 13, 2018, 09:38:16 AM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 11:06:10 PM
Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 12, 2018, 10:39:57 PM
Quote from: Beltway on January 12, 2018, 07:39:11 AM
I-95 needs more thru capacity.  Adding auxiliary lanes on I-95 between each exit would help but would not address that.
^Agreed which is a large part of why VDOT is actively studying how to improve the US-301/VA-207 corridor as the main alternative for long distance traffic wishing to bypass the Northern Virginia area.
Unless all of it is freeway between I-95/VA-207 and MD I-695, it won't provide much traffic relief to I-95, if any, considering that MD US-301 in southern MD has at least 50 traffic signals.
This would be a "nice to have", but won't really benefit I-95.  In the grand scheme of things, there isn't a whole lot of long-distance traffic on I-95 through the D.C. area compared to local traffic (I've estimated no more than 30K in the past).  And there's enough latent demand in the D.C. area and Northern Virginia to where any diversion of through traffic you get from I-95 will quickly fill back up with local traffic.

I agree that a bypass won't necessarily affect I-95 traffic much in the long term, but that ~30,000 VPD would certainly have a major benefit if they had a reliable freeway bypass of the D.C. area, and that would probably include 6,000 to 8,000 large trucks.  It would be a huge benefit for the long distance traffic in the I-95 corridor.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

Beltway

Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 13, 2018, 10:48:32 AM
Fair enough, although the findings of this study may give us somewhat of a ballpark answer:
http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/fredericksburg/spotsylvania-lawmaker-proposes-bill-to-add-lanes-to--mile/article_9231bc58-f743-59d3-a4f7-a353e5588bc5.html
QuoteVDOT spokeswoman Kelly Hannon wrote in an email that the cost per mile of Cole's proposal would vary based on "the surrounding terrain, development, utilities, environmental context, required right-of-way and other factors."
"The agency will work to provide the General Assembly with cost and impact information as the legislation is under consideration,"  she added.

Legislation to do an end-run around Smart Scale, for 44 miles of I-95 widening?  Again, I think that is a bad idea; either they should use Smart Scale 100% of the time or they should get rid of it altogether.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

1995hoo

Does anybody know what the law is on Virginia regarding school zone speed limits when the schools are on a delayed opening or early closing? In other words, Fairfax County opened two hours late today. The "school zone speed limit 25 when flashing" sign outside Edison HS was flashing at 8:00 this morning, even though school wasn't opening until 10:00, presumably because they can't reprogram the signs on such short notice or else they just don't bother for one day. So the question is, do you have to obey the 25-mph school zone speed limit at 8:00 under those circumstances? I assume the answer is probably "yes," but it was certainly pretty clear that a lot of people on the road this morning felt otherwise. (I was going to the gas station and the lady in front of me slowed to 25. The guy behind me was already following too closely and almost rear-ended me when I slowed because of her. The normal speed limit is 35 and I might have split the difference and gone 30 had she not been ahead of me.)
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Beltway

Quote from: 1995hoo on January 17, 2018, 09:48:11 AM
Does anybody know what the law is on Virginia regarding school zone speed limits when the schools are on a delayed opening or early closing? In other words, Fairfax County opened two hours late today. The "school zone speed limit 25 when flashing" sign outside Edison HS was flashing at 8:00 this morning, even though school wasn't opening until 10:00, presumably because they can't reprogram the signs on such short notice or else they just don't bother for one day. So the question is, do you have to obey the 25-mph school zone speed limit at 8:00 under those circumstances? I assume the answer is probably "yes," but it was certainly pretty clear that a lot of people on the road this morning felt otherwise. (I was going to the gas station and the lady in front of me slowed to 25. The guy behind me was already following too closely and almost rear-ended me when I slowed because of her. The normal speed limit is 35 and I might have split the difference and gone 30 had she not been ahead of me.)

Good question.  I see the "school zone speed limit 25 when flashing" signs activating even on national holidays when school is not in session and there is no activity at the school, at least where I live (Richmond).  I suppose the municipality could send a worker out to each school to disable the warning on such a day.
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http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
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VTGoose

Quote from: Beltway on January 17, 2018, 01:25:27 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 17, 2018, 09:48:11 AM
Does anybody know what the law is on Virginia regarding school zone speed limits when the schools are on a delayed opening or early closing? In other words, Fairfax County opened two hours late today. The "school zone speed limit 25 when flashing" sign outside Edison HS was flashing at 8:00 this morning, even though school wasn't opening until 10:00, presumably because they can't reprogram the signs on such short notice or else they just don't bother for one day. So the question is, do you have to obey the 25-mph school zone speed limit at 8:00 under those circumstances? I assume the answer is probably "yes," but it was certainly pretty clear that a lot of people on the road this morning felt otherwise. (I was going to the gas station and the lady in front of me slowed to 25. The guy behind me was already following too closely and almost rear-ended me when I slowed because of her. The normal speed limit is 35 and I might have split the difference and gone 30 had she not been ahead of me.)

Good question.  I see the "school zone speed limit 25 when flashing" signs activating even on national holidays when school is not in session and there is no activity at the school, at least where I live (Richmond).  I suppose the municipality could send a worker out to each school to disable the warning on such a day.

Checked the Code of Virginia and it only talks about the how and when of such signs (see https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-873/ ) but it doesn't discuss anything about school not in session. I would suggest that it is a local issue and the cops would be aware of a school closing or delay -- and they would have to be pretty mean to run radar in a school zone when school is closed just to catch people who don't drop their speed (knowing school is closed). Even if a ticket is issued, it would seem to be an easy argument to make in front of a judge (but I'll let someone else give it a shot).

Bruce in frigid Blacksburg
"Get in the fast lane, grandma!  The bingo game is ready to roll!"

WillWeaverRVA

Quote from: Beltway on January 17, 2018, 01:25:27 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 17, 2018, 09:48:11 AM
Does anybody know what the law is on Virginia regarding school zone speed limits when the schools are on a delayed opening or early closing? In other words, Fairfax County opened two hours late today. The "school zone speed limit 25 when flashing" sign outside Edison HS was flashing at 8:00 this morning, even though school wasn't opening until 10:00, presumably because they can't reprogram the signs on such short notice or else they just don't bother for one day. So the question is, do you have to obey the 25-mph school zone speed limit at 8:00 under those circumstances? I assume the answer is probably "yes," but it was certainly pretty clear that a lot of people on the road this morning felt otherwise. (I was going to the gas station and the lady in front of me slowed to 25. The guy behind me was already following too closely and almost rear-ended me when I slowed because of her. The normal speed limit is 35 and I might have split the difference and gone 30 had she not been ahead of me.)

Good question.  I see the "school zone speed limit 25 when flashing" signs activating even on national holidays when school is not in session and there is no activity at the school, at least where I live (Richmond).  I suppose the municipality could send a worker out to each school to disable the warning on such a day.

I've noticed such signs activating in the City of Richmond at weird hours, actually. I don't know if local police are using them as speed traps or what, but it's weird to be driving up a street at about 8pm and seeing those lights flashing.
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Beltway

#2835
Quote from: VTGoose on January 18, 2018, 10:45:25 AM
Quote from: Beltway on January 17, 2018, 01:25:27 PM
I see the "school zone speed limit 25 when flashing" signs activating even on national holidays when school is not in session and there is no activity at the school, at least where I live (Richmond).  I suppose the municipality could send a worker out to each school to disable the warning on such a day.
Checked the Code of Virginia and it only talks about the how and when of such signs (see https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-873/ ) but it doesn't discuss anything about school not in session. I would suggest that it is a local issue and the cops would be aware of a school closing or delay -- and they would have to be pretty mean to run radar in a school zone when school is closed just to catch people who don't drop their speed (knowing school is closed). Even if a ticket is issued, it would seem to be an easy argument to make in front of a judge (but I'll let someone else give it a shot).
Bruce in frigid Blacksburg

I do volunteer uniformed work for Richmond Police Department, not as a sworn officer, not with any arrest powers, but with a variety of other duties that include some traffic control functions.  Officers have a key to gain access to traffic signal controllers if for some official reason they need to override the normal sequencing, plus training as to using the manual options.  So it would be possible for officers or DPW workers to turn the school signals off on a weekday that it is not needed, or on at 8:00 pm if there is some major school function at that time.

The only caveat I would provide is that in a city the size of Richmond there are probably at least 30 such school zones, that would need manual intervention. 

But the controllers are programmed to know not to activate on weekend days, and not in the summer.  Holidays would vary in date from year to year and the system would need some kind of direct update capability and not just rote programming.
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Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
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mrsman

Quote from: Beltway on January 18, 2018, 01:25:08 PM
Quote from: VTGoose on January 18, 2018, 10:45:25 AM
Quote from: Beltway on January 17, 2018, 01:25:27 PM
I see the "school zone speed limit 25 when flashing" signs activating even on national holidays when school is not in session and there is no activity at the school, at least where I live (Richmond).  I suppose the municipality could send a worker out to each school to disable the warning on such a day.
Checked the Code of Virginia and it only talks about the how and when of such signs (see https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-873/ ) but it doesn't discuss anything about school not in session. I would suggest that it is a local issue and the cops would be aware of a school closing or delay -- and they would have to be pretty mean to run radar in a school zone when school is closed just to catch people who don't drop their speed (knowing school is closed). Even if a ticket is issued, it would seem to be an easy argument to make in front of a judge (but I'll let someone else give it a shot).
Bruce in frigid Blacksburg

I do volunteer uniformed work for Richmond Police Department, not as a sworn officer, not with any arrest powers, but with a variety of other duties that include some traffic control functions.  Officers have a key to gain access to traffic signal controllers if for some official reason they need to override the normal sequencing, plus training as to using the manual options.  So it would be possible for officers or DPW workers to turn the school signals off on a weekday that it is not needed, or on at 8:00 pm if there is some major school function at that time.

The only caveat I would provide is that in a city the size of Richmond there are probably at least 30 such school zones, that would need manual intervention. 

But the controllers are programmed to know not to activate on weekend days, and not in the summer.  Holidays would vary in date from year to year and the system would need some kind of direct update capability and not just rote programming.

There is no reason that school holidays cannot be pre-programmed in advance at these signals.  School districts generally set their schedule months before the start of school and they could program in certain dates that will not cause the lights to flash.  (I agree that weather closings do not give as much time.)  It's just a matter of will, whether they care to program the lights for these dates by adding in a date and month function to the controller, or take the easy way out and only program day of the week and time of day.

On a side note, it would be nice if there was an easy way to determine when school is in session.  And for traffic and parking purposes it's not limited to regular classes, but even after-school activities, clubs, sports, and/or summer school.  In many busy cities there are parking restrictions on "school days" and it would be nice to have those spaces available when you know for a fact that there is no school in session, but aren't sure if some kind of activity would make it a school day.

Beltway

#2837
Quote from: mrsman on January 21, 2018, 07:03:52 PM
Quote from: Beltway on January 18, 2018, 01:25:08 PM
I do volunteer uniformed work for Richmond Police Department, not as a sworn officer, not with any arrest powers, but with a variety of other duties that include some traffic control functions.  Officers have a key to gain access to traffic signal controllers if for some official reason they need to override the normal sequencing, plus training as to using the manual options.  So it would be possible for officers or DPW workers to turn the school signals off on a weekday that it is not needed, or on at 8:00 pm if there is some major school function at that time.
The only caveat I would provide is that in a city the size of Richmond there are probably at least 30 such school zones, that would need manual intervention. 
But the controllers are programmed to know not to activate on weekend days, and not in the summer.  Holidays would vary in date from year to year and the system would need some kind of direct update capability and not just rote programming.
There is no reason that school holidays cannot be pre-programmed in advance at these signals.  School districts generally set their schedule months before the start of school and they could program in certain dates that will not cause the lights to flash.  (I agree that weather closings do not give as much time.)  It's just a matter of will, whether they care to program the lights for these dates by adding in a date and month function to the controller, or take the easy way out and only program day of the week and time of day.
On a side note, it would be nice if there was an easy way to determine when school is in session.  And for traffic and parking purposes it's not limited to regular classes, but even after-school activities, clubs, sports, and/or summer school.  In many busy cities there are parking restrictions on "school days" and it would be nice to have those spaces available when you know for a fact that there is no school in session, but aren't sure if some kind of activity would make it a school day.

That would depend on the signal controller, the functionality I outlined would most likely require a network connection and a central computer so that an employee could communicate those dates to all the signal controllers, since holidays would vary in date from year to year and snow days would only be known when they happened.  Without central control, every signal controller would have to be manually updated annually for holidays and ad hoc for snow and other emergency days.

I don't know the details of how these systems work, but from what I am hearing and seeing, each signal controller has rote programming that knows "it is a weekday" and "it is not summer [date-span]", and has no network connection to any central computer.

A small town might only have a few school zones, to where manual updating might be the way to go, but in a city the size of Richmond with 100 or more such signals, I think that the city should do a study and see what it would cost to upgrade to what I outlined, probably involve replacing all the signal controllers and utilize a wireless wide area network.

[Final VDOT job was Systems Analyst in VDOT IT Support Center in the Central Office]
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Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
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VTGoose

Quote from: mrsman on January 21, 2018, 07:03:52 PM
There is no reason that school holidays cannot be pre-programmed in advance at these signals.  School districts generally set their schedule months before the start of school and they could program in certain dates that will not cause the lights to flash.  (I agree that weather closings do not give as much time.)  It's just a matter of will, whether they care to program the lights for these dates by adding in a date and month function to the controller, or take the easy way out and only program day of the week and time of day.

Actually there is a big reason why things can't be pre-programmed -- MONEY. Someone would have to spend the money to upgrade the whole signal system to allow the school zone signals to be programmed from a central location, and that assumes there is some type of network connection available at all locations. Around here, the signs could probably be set up to tap into the wireless network at each school (if the signs are close enough to pick up a signal). But many would argue that it would be better to spend that money on things that directly benefit students or the locality (depending on who pays for the signals) than on expensive software and controllers just to make it convenient for some drivers.

Here in the wilds of Virginia, the signals are controlled by simple timers that understand "on" time and "off" time for several times on weekdays and know to be "off" on weekends. When school is out for the summer, someone (town PD, county deputy, school maintenance) goes to each signal and turns it off. When school resumes in August, someone has to turn the signals back on again. It's a simple system but it works. Sure, it would be nice if someone in the central office (or at home on a snow day) could turn all the school zone signs off with the click of a mouse, but funds are tight as it is without siphoning money off to something that really can't be justified.

Bruce in Blacksburg
"Get in the fast lane, grandma!  The bingo game is ready to roll!"

VTGoose

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has posted 184 images from its archives of aerial views of Richmond, many of which include roads and highways.

See http://www.richmond.com/from-the-archives/from-the-archive-more-than-images-of-richmond-from-the/collection_8b4a91c0-d9e8-11e6-92d4-e379755a7c8a.html#6
"Get in the fast lane, grandma!  The bingo game is ready to roll!"

VTGoose

Truck tolls to be studied for I-81

Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, has introduced a bill in the current session of the Virginia General Assembly to study adding a toll to fund improvements to I-81. Tthe Commonwealth Transportation Board and the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment would be charged to do a feasibility study of utilizing truck tolls to fund transportation infrastructure projects along I-81.

See http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2018/01/22/new-bill-look-81-tolls-trucks/1053554001/

Obenshain has also filed a bill (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?181+ful+SB561) to have VDOT establish "zones where all tractor trucks are restricted to the right lane only. Such restricted zones shall serve as a substitute for the construction of truck climbing lanes."

"Get in the fast lane, grandma!  The bingo game is ready to roll!"

hbelkins

Quote from: VTGoose on January 22, 2018, 01:19:36 PM

Obenshain has also filed a bill (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?181+ful+SB561) to have VDOT establish "zones where all tractor trucks are restricted to the right lane only. Such restricted zones shall serve as a substitute for the construction of truck climbing lanes."

They pretty much already have that, in the areas where black-on-white regulatory signs require vehicles to use the right lane when being operated below XX mph (typically the speed limit). Didn't keep me from getting behind some micropassing trucks on I-77 between Wytheville and Hillsville last month.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Beltway

Quote from: VTGoose on January 22, 2018, 01:19:36 PM
Truck tolls to be studied for I-81
Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, has introduced a bill in the current session of the Virginia General Assembly to study adding a toll to fund improvements to I-81. Tthe Commonwealth Transportation Board and the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment would be charged to do a feasibility study of utilizing truck tolls to fund transportation infrastructure projects along I-81.

I thought that was already tried and rejected in the early and mid 2000s, when they had the benefit of a FHWA pilot program that allowed three such projects in the U.S.
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HTM Duke

Last week, I noticed two VMS's announcing the closure of the VA-236 west exit from I-395 south that (last) weekend.  Today, driving through the area again, I've noticed that work on the fourth lane extension on I-395 south from VA-236 to I-495 has finally begun.  As of now, just some removed guardrail and jersey walls installed.  And as I thought, this work is also part of the 395 HOT lane conversion project.
List of routes: Traveled | Clinched

Jmiles32

http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/peake-files-resolution-to-study-u-s-eastern-bypass-in/article_07f78fa6-0171-11e8-b7fe-0356c1ba1d52.html
QuoteState Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, on Jan. 8 filed a resolution and a budget amendment to study building a U.S. 29 eastern bypass around Charlottesville.

Peake said SJ32, which asks the Virginia Department of Transportation to research the feasibility of such a project, is the next step after the state killed the Western Bypass of U.S. 29.

"The promises were made more than 30 years ago – Danville did its bypass, Amherst did its bypass, Culpeper has its bypass and Charlottesville's been the one sticking point,"  Peake said. "We need to finish the project, and now we need to study an eastern bypass. This is the first step of following through with what was done in 2014 to 2015 when the $230 million from the Western Bypass was taken to do those local Charlottesville projects."

Funny how this was proposed by a State Senator from Lynchburg when their own US-29 bypass isn't even fully complete and IMHO much more important.
Aspiring Transportation Planner at Virginia Tech. Go Hokies!

LM117

#2845
Peake is an idiot. The first few miles of US-29 from US-460 on south is a parking lot riddled with traffic lights, trucks, businesses and other at-grades, and constant speed limit changes. Lynchburg also has a bigger population and more traffic. Yet he wants to focus on another city with less population that will fight tooth and nail against any bypass. :banghead: :banghead:

I stopped going to Lynchburg because of the bottleneck. It's just not worth the hassle anymore. Greensboro is about the same distance from me and is MUCH easier getting in and out. I also use less gas going to Greensboro.

SW/Southside VA just can't catch a break. Whenever the state isn't screwing us over, our own politicans are doing it. Go figure. :rolleyes:
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

Jmiles32

Quote from: LM117 on January 25, 2018, 06:52:21 PM
Peake is an idiot. The first few miles of US-29 from US-460 on south is a parking lot riddled with traffic lights, trucks, businesses and other at-grades, and constant speed limit changes. Lynchburg also has a bigger population and more traffic. Yet he wants to focus on another city with less population that will fight tooth and nail against any bypass. :banghead: :banghead:

I stopped going to Lynchburg because of the bottleneck. It's just not worth the hassle anymore. Greensboro is about the same distance from me and is MUCH easier getting in and out. I also use less gas going to Greensboro.

SW/Southside VA just can't catch a break. Whenever the state isn't screwing us over, our own politicans are doing it. Go figure. :rolleyes:

Peake obviously wants a US-29 interstate which is understandable as Lynchburg is one of the largest cities in the U.S without one. However what I find interesting is how hell-bent these politicians are on upgrading portions of US-29 north of Lynchburg to interstate standards where not only is the terrain much more challenging, but as you mentioned places like Charlottesville have and will continue to fight tooth and nail against it. While it would seem to be both easier and more realistic for Lynchburg to get an interstate via extending future I-785 up from Danville, this idea doesn't appear to resonate nearly as much interest. My guess is that it likely has something to do with an economic preference to be connected to Charlottesville and points north rather than Southside and points south.
Aspiring Transportation Planner at Virginia Tech. Go Hokies!

LM117

#2847
Quote from: Jmiles32 on January 25, 2018, 08:55:27 PM
Quote from: LM117 on January 25, 2018, 06:52:21 PM
Peake is an idiot. The first few miles of US-29 from US-460 on south is a parking lot riddled with traffic lights, trucks, businesses and other at-grades, and constant speed limit changes. Lynchburg also has a bigger population and more traffic. Yet he wants to focus on another city with less population that will fight tooth and nail against any bypass. :banghead: :banghead:

I stopped going to Lynchburg because of the bottleneck. It's just not worth the hassle anymore. Greensboro is about the same distance from me and is MUCH easier getting in and out. I also use less gas going to Greensboro.

SW/Southside VA just can't catch a break. Whenever the state isn't screwing us over, our own politicans are doing it. Go figure. :rolleyes:

Peake obviously wants a US-29 interstate which is understandable as Lynchburg is one of the largest cities in the U.S without one. However what I find interesting is how hell-bent these politicians are on upgrading portions of US-29 north of Lynchburg to interstate standards where not only is the terrain much more challenging, but as you mentioned places like Charlottesville have and will continue to fight tooth and nail against it. While it would seem to be both easier and more realistic for Lynchburg to get an interstate via extending future I-785 up from Danville, this idea doesn't appear to resonate nearly as much interest. My guess is that it likely has something to do with an economic preference to be connected to Charlottesville and points north rather than Southside and points south.

There was a bill introduced in the General Assembly back in 2011 to extend I-785 to Altavista but it didn't get anywhere and all talk of extending I-785 north of the Danville area disappeared since. I thought that attempt was stupid anyway since Altavista doesn't meet FHWA criteria as a logical termini for an interstate, unlike Lynchburg. There was a small thread on this forum in 2011 covering that proposal.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=4062.0

The politicians around here are a few beers short of a six-pack.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

cpzilliacus

Quote from: froggie on January 13, 2018, 09:38:16 AM
This would be a "nice to have", but won't really benefit I-95.  In the grand scheme of things, there isn't a whole lot of long-distance traffic on I-95 through the D.C. area compared to local traffic (I've estimated no more than 30K in the past).  And there's enough latent demand in the D.C. area and Northern Virginia to where any diversion of through traffic you get from I-95 will quickly fill back up with local traffic.

I strongly disagree.

For starters, network redundancy (or lack thereof), which is one of the  reasons that the freeways near D.C. do not work especially well.

Regarding through traffic, cars, perhaps, but plenty of commercial vehicles are through trips, and even those that have a destination in or near D.C. frequently have to transit much of the region to get to their destination (think trucks headed for the  Safeway warehouse on U.S. 301 in the Upper Marlboro area of Prince George's County or the Giant warehouses now mostly in the Jessup area of Howard County (the Landover complex that was once the headquarters of Giant is vacant and for sale)).
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1995hoo

Regarding my posts above about HB27, this week the House Transportation Subcommittee to which it was assigned voted unanimously to recommend "passing it by indefinitely,"  which I understand is basically equivalent to recommending rejection. That's good news.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.



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