Virginia

[cpzilliacus]

The more lights removed on VA-234, the better. IMO, that bypass of Manassas should've been built as a full freeway when it was built only 20 years ago. Whoever thought an expressway design with signals would be appropriate in a rapidly growing area was clearly not thinking for anything beyond 10 years.

Please consider that finances play into these decisions.  Though a signal costs money to design and build (and has operating costs as well), signalized intersections cost less to construct than interchanges, and VDOT has not had an unlimited budget at all since the study and preliminary engineering of what is now VA-234 between VA-294 and I-66 started in the early 1990's. 

The same comments apply to VA-286 and VA-289 in Fairfax County.

[sprjus4]

At minimum, right of way should have been reserved and acquired for interchanges for a future freeway build out.

[cpzilliacus]

At minimum, right of way should have been reserved and acquired for interchanges for a future freeway build out.

It would appear that the space is there, but I do not know if that land belongs to VDOT or is in reservation to prevent it from being developed.

[Jmiles32]

Perhaps one of the few promising developments during these times:
https://www.insidenova.com/news/transportation/fairfax/reduced-traffic-means-more-time-for-roadwork-during-coronavirus-crisis/article_3945b110-727f-11ea-8473-c7b64473c9cd.html

Road crews will have more time to work on Route 7 corridor improvements due to reduced traffic during the coronavirus crisis.

The Virginia Department of Transportation announced that lane closures between Reston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive have been extended "due to the significant decrease in traffic as a result of school closures, increased telework, and limitations on public gatherings."

The seven-mile road widening project west of the Dulles Toll Road includes an additional lane in each direction, shared-use paths and intersection improvements.

They'll now run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday, March 30, to Friday April 3

Will be interesting to see if this approach will be implemented for other big projects across the state also experiencing significant drops in traffic volumes (Which I would assume would be pretty much everywhere). Would be awesome if they could finish some of these megaprojects (especially the ones on I-95) way sooner than expected.

[Thing 342]

I was browsing Historic Aerials and noticed that the eastern end of the bypass was graded for a parclo at Portsmouth Blvd (photo is from 1982, bypass opened in 1973):



Does anyone know if a southeastern portion of the bypass was planned? Presume that it was permanently cancelled in favor of the southwestern extension opened in 2003.

[Beltway]

I was browsing Historic Aerials and noticed that the eastern end of the bypass was graded for a parclo at Portsmouth Blvd (photo is from 1982, bypass opened in 1973):
Does anyone know if a southeastern portion of the bypass was planned? Presume that it was permanently cancelled in favor of the southwestern extension opened in 2003.

A full Suffolk loop was planned in the 1970s.  I'm not sure exactly but I don't think that quadrant survived the 1980s.

Business US-58 to the west of there does not connect to the bypass, and that section of Bus US-58 has only circuitous access to the bypass.  It would be helpful to built that access, those graded roadways could be built and paved and brought to an at-grade intersection with Bus US-58.  One overpass would be needed where those two roadways cross.  The grading and R/W is already there.

[sprjus4]

A full Suffolk loop was planned in the 1970s.  I'm not sure exactly but I don't think that quadrant survived the 1980s.

IIRC, it was fully killed in the early 2000s when it was removed from long range plans in Suffolk.

Business US-58 to the west of there does not connect to the bypass, and that section of Bus US-58 has only circuitous access to the bypass.  It would be helpful to built that access, those graded roadways could be built and paved and brought to an at-grade intersection with Bus US-58.  One overpass would be needed where those two roadways cross.  The grading and R/W is already there.

The previously graded ramp is now an entrance to a new subdivision.

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.7527005,-76.5306663,1506m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.7488341,-76.5317404,3a,75y,339.9h,82.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJ076Yj495YRNditZhhjRHg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1

An interchange such as this would be ideal.

[sprjus4]

Report from the HRTPO (Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization) detailing the impact of COVID-19 on the Hampton Roads region as far as transportation, traffic volume decreases, transit ridership decreases, etc.

Traffic volumes on tunnels (March 1 - 7 week vs. March 22 - 28 week)
HRBT - Down 38.6%
Downtown Tunnel - Down 35.7%
MMMBT - Down 36.1%
Midtown Tunnel - Down 42.6%
CBBT - Down 45.6%

VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) (March 1 - 7 week vs. March 22 - 28 week)
Chesapeake - Down 67.4%
Franklin - Down 49.2%
Gloucester - Down 61.7%
Hampton - Down 64.8%
Isle of Wight - Down 63.8%
James City - Down 73.4%
Newport News - Down 68%
Norfolk - Down 68.1%
Poquoson - Down 77.2%
Portsmouth - Down 59.1%
Southampton - Down 51%
Suffolk - Down 66.8%
Surry - Down 49.9%
Virginia Beach - Down 72.9%
Williamsburg - Down 90.9%
York - Down 75.5%

https://www.hrtpo.org/uploads/docs/COVID-19%20Transportation_v3.pdf

[sprjus4]

Major road projects moving along at a faster pace with drivers homebound

There's a silver lining to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to Virginia Department of Transportation. With so many people staying at home and traffic volumes dropping 40 to 60 percent, contractors are finding themselves with more elbow room during what would traditionally be rush hour.

Traffic is so low, crews are likely getting ahead of schedule on interstate projects, pavement repairs and bridge replacements.

"Normally, our lane closures are scheduled to occur during off-peak travel times, but in some cases we have been able to extend the work hours so that crews have more time each day available to complete their tasks,"  said VDOT spokeswoman Jordan-Ashley Walker.

Contractors are working longer hours on two major interstate projects in some of the region's busiest corridors – the widening of Interstate 64 Southside/High Rise Bridge and improvements to the I-64/I-264 interchange. Road work on the Peninsula is also progressing including the widening of Longhill Road and the bridge rehabilitation over College Creek.

It's possible that some projects will be completed earlier than expected. VDOT will reassess schedules after the emergency has passed, Walker said.

In Virginia Beach's Hilltop area, the removal of the feeder lanes along Laskin Road and the replacement of a bridge built in 1938 is moving forward at a faster pace. The contractor has been able to complete critical steps during daylight hours by closing a lane when the road is normally too busy.

In some cases, traffic engineers are re-evaluating the sequence of events. Construction that was going to be an inconvenience to businesses later can be completed earlier.

Shops and restaurants along 19th Street at the Oceanfront were expecting an intersection to be closed during the height of the summer, but the city's contractor recently bumped up its plans to install new pavers over the next several weeks.

One of the biggest benefits has been safety for drivers and construction workers.

"Fewer cars in the work zone and fewer distractions reduces the probability of an accident, which is a good thing for everyone,"  said David Jarman, transportation division manager for Virginia Beach.

Less traffic also means less wear and tear on temporary pavement.

"This allows the contractor to focus more on pursuing the work and less on roadway maintenance during construction,"  Jarman said.

[sprjus4]

Traffic Shifts Continue on Third Segment of Peninsula I-64 Widening Project

YORK COUNTY — A series of traffic shifts continue next week on the third segment of the Interstate 64 Widening Project, moving traffic left from the two existing concrete travel lanes onto the new travel lanes in the median to allow for the full reconstruction of the outside lanes.

Starting as early as overnight Tuesday, April 21, the next scheduled traffic shift will take place eastbound on I-64, from Colonial Parkway to the eastern limits of the project near Route 199/Humelsine Parkway (exit 242), weather permitting.

To complete the traffic shift operations, crews will alternate single-lane closures on I-64 east between Colonial Parkway to just west of Route 199/Humelsine Parkway, April 20-21 from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m., as well as implement a brief stoppage overnight to transition the traffic safely to the new lanes.

Two additional traffic shifts are currently estimated to take place over the following two weeks, with one shift implemented each week as weather and schedule allows. The shifts will be implemented in the following locations:
* I-64 east, from the western project limits of the project–approximately 1 mile west of Route 199/Newman Road–to the Lightfoot exit at Route 199/Newman Road (exit 234)
* I-64 west, from the eastern project limits of the project–approximately 1 mile west of Route 199/Humelsine Parkway (exit 242)–to the Colonial Parkway overpass bridge

While lower traffic volumes continue to be observed overall in Hampton Roads recently, motorists are reminded that they must still obey the reduced 55 mph speed limit and drive with caution when traveling in the project work zone, especially when navigating the upcoming new traffic patterns. 

All project work and scheduled closures are dependent upon weather conditions.

[plain]

The recent shift at Queens Creek seems to be flowing well (as expected). Despite the light traffic, it's still going to take quite a while for the freeway over the Colonial Pkwy to be finished, for obvious reasons. I drove past it Saturday and it's nowhere near as advanced as much of the rest of the project.

[sprjus4]

The recent shift at Queens Creek seems to be flowing well (as expected). Despite the light traffic, it's still going to take quite a while for the freeway over the Colonial Pkwy to be finished, for obvious reasons. I drove past it Saturday and it's nowhere near as advanced as much of the rest of the project.

I'd expect with the recent decrease in traffic, the projected completion date of Fall 2021 may be moved forward to potentially being open with all 6 lanes by next Spring.

The sooner the better. Glad to see work progressing and lane shifts beginning to happen. So far, everything seems on track as planned.

[sprjus4]

Drive through I-64 Segment 3 heading eastbound. Traffic is now shifted on inside lanes and over new westbound bridge. Note the slight shift at the Queens Dr overpass, where the completed project left shoulder will reduce from 12 ft to ~4-5 ft underneath the bridge.
https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaDOT/videos/10156927623165974/

[cpzilliacus]

The recent shift at Queens Creek seems to be flowing well (as expected). Despite the light traffic, it's still going to take quite a while for the freeway over the Colonial Pkwy to be finished, for obvious reasons. I drove past it Saturday and it's nowhere near as advanced as much of the rest of the project.

I presume the replacement bridges that carry I-64 over the Colonial Parkway will be a similar design to the arch structures with many red bricks that have been there since this part of I-64 was constructed?

[plain]

The recent shift at Queens Creek seems to be flowing well (as expected). Despite the light traffic, it's still going to take quite a while for the freeway over the Colonial Pkwy to be finished, for obvious reasons. I drove past it Saturday and it's nowhere near as advanced as much of the rest of the project.

I presume the replacement bridges that carry I-64 over the Colonial Parkway will be a similar design to the arch structures with many red bricks that have been there since this part of I-64 was constructed?

It actually looked like they're adding on to the existing structures in the widening effort. There was a tarp covering the whole arch under each direction of the freeway, looked like the Parkway was closed in that area. I wish I could be there more often to see this process being carried out.

[VTGoose]

A leftover from the dual-ization of U.S. 460 in Bedford County is going to be fixed next spring and summer. When the road was widened in the late? 1950s, new westbound lanes were built east of Montvale and the eastbound lanes retained on the climbing S-curves of the original highway. Over the years a number of incidents and wrecks have been problematic, with one in 2012 that involved a fuel tanker that overturned, killing the driver and requiring that portion of the road to be closed for several months to clean up the soil contaminated by spilled gasoline.

The improvement will be construction of two new lanes parallel to the existing westbound lanes and adjustments to several crossovers in that stretch. Traffic will be maintained although there may be occasional lane closures. See http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/salem/route_460_s_curve_realignment_-_bedford_county.asp for VDOT info and https://www.roanoke.com/news/local/elimination-of-us-460-s-curves-in-bedford-county-approved/article_289245a5-5782-5f39-9dc8-8224ac6946b8.html for the news story.

[sprjus4]

A leftover from the dual-ization of U.S. 460 in Bedford County is going to be fixed next spring and summer. When the road was widened in the late? 1950s, new westbound lanes were built east of Montvale and the eastbound lanes retained on the climbing S-curves of the original highway. Over the years a number of incidents and wrecks have been problematic, with one in 2012 that involved a fuel tanker that overturned, killing the driver and requiring that portion of the road to be closed for several months to clean up the soil contaminated by spilled gasoline.

The improvement will be construction of two new lanes parallel to the existing westbound lanes and adjustments to several crossovers in that stretch. Traffic will be maintained although there may be occasional lane closures. See http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/salem/route_460_s_curve_realignment_-_bedford_county.asp for VDOT info and https://www.roanoke.com/news/local/elimination-of-us-460-s-curves-in-bedford-county-approved/article_289245a5-5782-5f39-9dc8-8224ac6946b8.html for the news story.

For a second, I was thinking of this mess in Narrows, VA / Giles County, VA. In some areas, a slight error and you're loosing paint.

Street View
Aerial

The project mentioned above is certainly needed, though I would hope this area would also be addressed at some point in the future. I-73 won't ever be coming through this area, it would be a standalone US-460 project. Not cheap.

[cpzilliacus]

A leftover from the dual-ization of U.S. 460 in Bedford County is going to be fixed next spring and summer. When the road was widened in the late? 1950s, new westbound lanes were built east of Montvale and the eastbound lanes retained on the climbing S-curves of the original highway. Over the years a number of incidents and wrecks have been problematic, with one in 2012 that involved a fuel tanker that overturned, killing the driver and requiring that portion of the road to be closed for several months to clean up the soil contaminated by spilled gasoline.

The improvement will be construction of two new lanes parallel to the existing westbound lanes and adjustments to several crossovers in that stretch. Traffic will be maintained although there may be occasional lane closures. See http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/salem/route_460_s_curve_realignment_-_bedford_county.asp for VDOT info and https://www.roanoke.com/news/local/elimination-of-us-460-s-curves-in-bedford-county-approved/article_289245a5-5782-5f39-9dc8-8224ac6946b8.html for the news story.

For a second, I was thinking of this mess in Narrows, VA / Giles County, VA. In some areas, a slight error and you're loosing paint.

Street View
Aerial

The project mentioned above is certainly needed, though I would hope this area would also be addressed at some point in the future. I-73 won't ever be coming through this area, it would be a standalone US-460 project. Not cheap.

Isn't one of the roadways of U.S. 460 there on the right-of-way of the former Virginian Railway?

[Mapmikey]

A leftover from the dual-ization of U.S. 460 in Bedford County is going to be fixed next spring and summer. When the road was widened in the late? 1950s, new westbound lanes were built east of Montvale and the eastbound lanes retained on the climbing S-curves of the original highway. Over the years a number of incidents and wrecks have been problematic, with one in 2012 that involved a fuel tanker that overturned, killing the driver and requiring that portion of the road to be closed for several months to clean up the soil contaminated by spilled gasoline.

The improvement will be construction of two new lanes parallel to the existing westbound lanes and adjustments to several crossovers in that stretch. Traffic will be maintained although there may be occasional lane closures. See http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/salem/route_460_s_curve_realignment_-_bedford_county.asp for VDOT info and https://www.roanoke.com/news/local/elimination-of-us-460-s-curves-in-bedford-county-approved/article_289245a5-5782-5f39-9dc8-8224ac6946b8.html for the news story.

For a second, I was thinking of this mess in Narrows, VA / Giles County, VA. In some areas, a slight error and you're loosing paint.

Street View
Aerial

The project mentioned above is certainly needed, though I would hope this area would also be addressed at some point in the future. I-73 won't ever be coming through this area, it would be a standalone US-460 project. Not cheap.

Isn't one of the roadways of U.S. 460 there on the right-of-way of the former Virginian Railway?

US 460 EB is on the railroad ROW from Rich Creek to VA 61 and both directions use the old alignment from Rich Creek west to a little short of the WV state line

[VTGoose]

For a second, I was thinking of this mess in Narrows, VA / Giles County, VA. In some areas, a slight error and you're loosing paint.

Street View
Aerial

The project mentioned above is certainly needed, though I would hope this area would also be addressed at some point in the future. I-73 won't ever be coming through this area, it would be a standalone US-460 project. Not cheap.

Isn't one of the roadways of U.S. 460 there on the right-of-way of the former Virginian Railway?

I can't imagine what that section of road between Narrows and Rich Creek was like when it was two-way traffic. It isn't too bad now if there isn't any traffic around you and you can ignore the arbitrary lines on the road and run straight across the curves.

The four-laning of U.S. 460 through Giles County went on well into the '70s, with the Pearisburg bypass and new bridges over the New River and improvements in Glen Lyn being the last sections completed. The stretch from Glen Lyn to the east side of Narrows was one of the early sections built because of the curves on the bluff. The Norfolk & Western Railway merged with the Virginian Railway in the late '50s, which gave the railroad parallel tracks on both sides of the New River between Glen Lyn and Whitethorne (the Virginian started its climb there to eventually reach the tunnel under U.S. 460 between Blacksburg and Christiansburg, then dropped into the Ellet Valley; the N&W continued up the river to Walton, then turned to climb to Christiansburg). A connection in Kellysville, W.Va. allowed loaded eastbound coal trains from Bluefield to cross over to the Virginian to continue on the easier grade to Roanoke.

The Virginia Department of Highways looked at the broad, flat right of way of the Virginian below the twisting section of U.S. 460 and made the N&W an offer it couldn't refuse. If the N&W gave up its right of way between Glen Lyn and Narrows, the state would build it two new bridges to change its traffic pattern. Instead of moving to the VGN tracks in Kellysville, trains from Princeton would cross to the N&W there (that was the closest location of the two lines), then cross back to VGN tracks on a new bridge on the east side of Narrows. The deal was done and new eastbound U.S. 460 lanes were built from Glen Lyn to Narrows. Downtown Rich Creek was bypassed and a new road configuration through Narrows improved traffic flow.

This page mainly covers changes in Kellysville and the new U.S. 460 in West Virginia from Glen Lyn west, but those changes were the result of the changes in Virginia:  https://brucebharper.info/nwrwy/kellysville/kellysville.html

Bruce in Blacksburg

[sprjus4]

https://twitter.com/VaDOT/status/1255848056538443776

[sprjus4]

The Hampton Blvd ramp is not yet completed. Lane striping in many areas, notably westbound, is missing. The approach to the connector on I-564 is still not finished. The package was a completed Intermodal Connector with access to Gate 6, NIT, Hampton Blvd ramp by October 2018. To the public, it's not completed.

Dash-cam footage from today's drive. You can see various aspects on VDOT's side not completed, along with the major construction work near the bridge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sachP_NPfmw

Continuing this on the appropriate forum...

VDOT's I-564 Intermodal Connector website has been updated.

The CVIS (Commercial Vehicle Inspection Station) facility is now projected to be open in May 2020 and Gate 6 to be open in July 2020. Full project completion is scheduled for Fall 2020.




Originally opened to NIT Traffic in December 2017 and projected to be completed in Fall 2018, this project is about 24 months behind schedule. As seen in the above video taken on April 9, 2020, they demolished a segment of roadway a couple years old and are replacing it (?), which is likely adding to the delay.

Here are pictures of different aspects of the project from March 2020 from the FHWA. The CVIS and Gate 6 appear complete and ready to handle traffic, it seems they are just waiting on VDOT to complete approach work. https://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/va/i564/documents/Project-Photos-03.2020.pdf

[1995hoo]

Does anyone have an old Fairfax County map dating back to the 1970s or earlier? I seem to recall that once upon a time, Bannerwood Drive went through to Woodburn Road at the intersection where Wellness Boulevard now comes in from the other side, but I can't find any confirmation anywhere (though if you look closely at Street View, you can see where the power lines head up through the trees along the path through the woods there). This would be back in the 1970s and earlier; by the 1980s, it was definitely gone. Historic Aerials shows a dirt road there in the 1964 aerial, but the 1979 and 1981 images are just too fuzzy to be able to tell.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.853875,-77.2262232,425m/data=!3m1!1e3

What prompted me to think of it is that we may head over to near there tomorrow morning for the Blue Angels flyover. When I was a little kid, we lived nearby in Strathmeade Square, so any time we went anywhere by car we had to use Woodburn Road either up to Gallows or down towards Route 236.

[Mapmikey]

Does anyone have an old Fairfax County map dating back to the 1970s or earlier? I seem to recall that once upon a time, Bannerwood Drive went through to Woodburn Road at the intersection where Wellness Boulevard now comes in from the other side, but I can't find any confirmation anywhere (though if you look closely at Street View, you can see where the power lines head up through the trees along the path through the woods there). This would be back in the 1970s and earlier; by the 1980s, it was definitely gone. Historic Aerials shows a dirt road there in the 1964 aerial, but the 1979 and 1981 images are just too fuzzy to be able to tell.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.853875,-77.2262232,425m/data=!3m1!1e3

What prompted me to think of it is that we may head over to near there tomorrow morning for the Blue Angels flyover. When I was a little kid, we lived nearby in Strathmeade Square, so any time we went anywhere by car we had to use Woodburn Road either up to Gallows or down towards Route 236.

Thanks to Froggie, I have Fairfax County map scans for 1967, 1971, 1977, 1979, 1987.

None show a connection to Woodburn.

Historic Aerials in the 1960s and older clearly show a dirt road leading south from Woodburn to a couple properties.  The 1979 and 1981 images seem to show that whatever connection was left was a lot narrower than the paved street coming from the south.  So it may have still been possible to drive that dirt lane in the time frame you mention, but it was never a road taken in by VDOT.

[1995hoo]

Thanks! I was sure I have vague memories of something being there, but given that I was a little kid, those memories are very vague. I remember Woodburn not curving slightly to the left at Gallows when we first lived in Strathmeade, but they reconfigured that area in the late 1970s as well.

Thanks for the info. Maybe after the flyover I might go have a look at the path there. I drive down Woodburn every once in a while, but when I go through there I'm usually looking at how the hospital area has changed since I was a kid.