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[froggie]

^ Paywalled article.

It's funny you mention the stated purpose is "improving truck access to I-64".  The VDOT project page shows a different purpose...to create efficient local connectivity between Route 60 and Route 143...

[sprjus4]

^ All those warehouses that the connector meets up with on US-60… in order to access I-64, they have to travel through Lee Hall on 25 mph streets.

The connector will allow trucks to use VA-143 and access I-64 much more direct.

[plain]

To add, even though the ramp to I-64 WB is a direct ramp from VA 143 WB, trucks can still use the parking lot in front of NWSY Gate 3 to turn around to access it (if they desperately feel the need to do so). It might actually urge VDOT to build a loop from 143 EB to 64 WB.

The only other missing movement is from 64 WB, which is why it's signed at VA 238.

[plain]

Is anyone else having trouble viewing VDOT'S Richmond District traffic cameras? All of the other districts (as well as the city of Richmond) cameras are working fine.

EDIT: Nevermind, there working again.

[1995hoo]

We were on the Beltway last night headed to L'Auberge Chez François and, passing through Tysons, I noted a rather interesting ground-mounted BGS on the right passing Route 7 on the Inner Loop. VDOT recently relocated the Dulles exit from the mainline as part of roadwork related to the HO/T lanes extension project. The left lane now becomes exit-only and the exit is now just before the Jones Branch Road overpass. It’s still on the left and it joins the exit ramp from the HO/T lanes; the ramp is now two lanes, separated by a double white line you’re not supposed to cross (I was quite nervous someone would cross it anyway and indeed they did).

So the interesting sign in Tysons is a vertical BGS with a yellow banner on the bottom reading "LEFT LANE MUST EXIT." It’s the words "MUST EXIT" that I found interesting because I don’t ever recall seeing those on a BGS in Virginia before. I associate those words with Delaware because they used to have a lot of signs phrased that way. Under the circumstances, though, I think it’s very good wording because it’s a ground-mounted sign placed on the right-hand side of the road (due to a lack of space on the left), so "exit only" might be less clear.

No pictures, unfortunately. I was driving with my wife and my mom in the car and I doubt I would have gotten a good picture anyway due to our position versus where the sign was—we were in the express lanes (no toll with three people!) and the sign was four lanes over to the right.

[mrsman]

We were on the Beltway last night headed to L'Auberge Chez François and, passing through Tysons, I noted a rather interesting ground-mounted BGS on the right passing Route 7 on the Inner Loop. VDOT recently relocated the Dulles exit from the mainline as part of roadwork related to the HO/T lanes extension project. The left lane now becomes exit-only and the exit is now just before the Jones Branch Road overpass. It’s still on the left and it joins the exit ramp from the HO/T lanes; the ramp is now two lanes, separated by a double white line you’re not supposed to cross (I was quite nervous someone would cross it anyway and indeed they did).

So the interesting sign in Tysons is a vertical BGS with a yellow banner on the bottom reading "LEFT LANE MUST EXIT." It’s the words "MUST EXIT" that I found interesting because I don’t ever recall seeing those on a BGS in Virginia before. I associate those words with Delaware because they used to have a lot of signs phrased that way. Under the circumstances, though, I think it’s very good wording because it’s a ground-mounted sign placed on the right-hand side of the road (due to a lack of space on the left), so "exit only" might be less clear.

No pictures, unfortunately. I was driving with my wife and my mom in the car and I doubt I would have gotten a good picture anyway due to our position versus where the sign was—we were in the express lanes (no toll with three people!) and the sign was four lanes over to the right.

A left lane must exit situation is always a bit of a surprise, so hopefully there are enough signs to warn about this early on.

It seems like a good place to do it, though.  Shifting the left lane traffic onto 267 would mean that there is more room to allow for the merger of traffic coming in from the HOT lanes.

[FLAVORTOWN]

Does VDOT have a numbering system for state highways or are they randomly assigned? Anyone know?

[Mapmikey]

Does VDOT have a numbering system for state highways or are they randomly assigned? Anyone know?

Virginia is on its 4th state highway numbering scheme...

1918-23 - routes were designated 1-28 by state legislature.  VA 10 is the only one still numbrered that way using some of its designated route.  VA 28 was never renumbered or decommissioned but extensions and truncations mean it does not follow any of its original routing.
See http://www.vahighways.com/route-log/VDOT%20logs/log1918.htm

1923-28 - more routes were added as 3 and 4 digit spurs; single digit routes were renumbered.  See http://www.vahighways.com/route-log/VDOT%20logs/log1926.pdf

1928-33 clustering system for the 8 Districts at that time.  District 1 had 100s, etc.  More 2 digit routes were added that crossed district lines.  See http://www.vahighways.com/route-log/VDOT%20logs/log1931.htm

1933 - mass renumbering to accomodate secondary system (600+ numbers).  Still clustered by district but numbered continuously from 59-283.  2-digit routes from before that weren't also US routes were retained.  See http://www.vahighways.com/route-log/VDOT%20logs/log1933.htm

new routes just took the next available number.  This stopped around 1940 and new designations don't follow any pattern.  Note Virginia went on a route eliminationtear in the 1940s-50s.  There was a state line renumbering in 1940 and an interstate renumbering in the late 1950s.
See http://www.vahighways.com/route-log/index.htm for other route logs available.

[1995hoo]

The new northbound bridge over the Rappahannock on I-95 opened this morning:

https://twitter.com/VaDOTFRED/status/1600113611027857408

[plain]

Now for the HOoT Lanes completion.

[74/171FAN]

PUBLIC HEARING SET DEC. 13 ON I-64 WIDENING PROJECT  (This is for the 6 lane widening between Exits 205 (VA 33 WB/VA 249) and 214 (VA 155)).

[Hunty2022]

PUBLIC HEARING SET DEC. 13 ON I-64 WIDENING PROJECT  (This is for the 6 lane widening between Exits 205 (VA 33 WB/VA 249) and 214 (VA 155)).

Last time I was in that area, there were traffic jams every day. This widening will be good.

[plain]

Glad the next phase is making progress, and definitely glad it's starting from Bottoms Bridge eastward.

Note that it says full outside & inside shoulders. The section from I-295 to VA 249 was built with a 4 ft left shoulder. Maybe VDOT will stretch it out sometime in the future?

[sprjus4]

More progress forward… this will fill approximately 10 miles of 29 mile “gap” in 6 lane highway between Richmond and Hampton Roads.

Construction to begin in late 2023 and be complete by 2027 between MM 205 and MM 215.

I’m not sure on the specifics, but I believe the Hampton Roads district was planning a “Segment 4” project (continuing from the first 3 segments they did between Williamsburg and Newport News from 2015-2021) for six lane widening between MM 233 and MM 226, also to be complete around 2027. I have not seen anything specific regarding that project though or any public hearings.

Assuming that project also gets let in the next year or so… expect a decent amount of construction zones between Williamsburg and Richmond over the next few years.

Note that it says full outside & inside shoulders. The section from I-295 to VA 249 was built with a 4 ft left shoulder. Maybe VDOT will stretch it out sometime in the future?

That section is interesting… it was built with a 4 ft shoulder but the bridges / viaducts have full 10 ft shoulders…

I imagine they’ll just end up leaving it though, unless there’s a pressing need to go back and let another construction project. I’m not sure why it wasn’t built with full shoulders to begin with.

[FLAVORTOWN]

Passing thru Arlington I noticed that many routes dont have a whole lot of reassurance markers... barely any signs on 29 & 50 to indicate it as such and its even worse on the state highways esp. 237 & 244. I think 120 isnt too bad but I bet its sparsely signed north of 66.

I dont even know why 237 exists and its super confusing that theres a ton of signs for it off I-66 Exit 69. Not a single sign on Washington Blvd to indicate that it is 237. The concurrency with 29 also missing

 

Anyways, rant over. 

[sprjus4]

To add, even though the ramp to I-64 WB is a direct ramp from VA 143 WB, trucks can still use the parking lot in front of NWSY Gate 3 to turn around to access it (if they desperately feel the need to do so). It might actually urge VDOT to build a loop from 143 EB to 64 WB.

I’m aware this reply is a month late, I somehow missed it before.

This would certainly be doable, and it appears a loop ramp could fit in existing forested land just east of where Gate 3 intersects VA-143, curve around with a wide enough radius to handle 25-30 mph, and have an acceleration lane on I-64 west over 1,000 ft long that could end just before the VA-143 overpass, and not require any bridge widening.

This actually seems like a relatively inexpensive project that should be constructed, especially to improve access to I-64 from those warehouses and connection in general to the new connector.

[oscar]

Passing thru Arlington I noticed that many routes dont have a whole lot of reassurance markers... barely any signs on 29 & 50 to indicate it as such and its even worse on the state highways esp. 237 & 244. I think 120 isnt too bad but I bet its sparsely signed north of 66.

Even the part of 237 west of Arlington is unevenly signed. 244 in Arlington seemed destined to be decommissioned (except at the VA 27 and VA 120 intersections) so local streetcar lines could run on Columbia Pike, but the streetcar project was canceled. There at least is 244 reassurance signage at the VA 27 and VA 120 intersections.

As for US 50, it's really hard to unintentionally stray from the route between Seven Corners in Fairfax County and the Rosslyn area of Arlington (which has decent US 50 signage). No need to post more US 50 markers along the highway.

US 29 once got a little confusing between VA 120 and Quincy Street, where US 29 was called Old Dominion Dr., and Lee Highway veered off the main road for about 0.6 mile. Now all of US 29 in Arlington County has been renamed to (and well-signed as) Langston Blvd., and the part of Lee Hwy that wasn't part of US 29 is now Cherry Hill Rd. Now US 29 is about as easy to follow in Arlington County as US 50, even with limited reassurance signage. 

BTW, I don't place a high priority on reassurance signage, except where needed to keep travelers from getting lost. Then again, one of my favorite highways has at least two 100+ mile gaps in its route signage, without anybody getting lost on the region's only highway.

I dont even know why 237 exists and its super confusing that theres a ton of signs for it off I-66 Exit 69. Not a single sign on Washington Blvd to indicate that it is 237. The concurrency with 29 also missing

The Virginia Highways Project page discussing 237 (and other routes) agrees: "VA 237's posted routing largely makes no sense." It might've made more sense before the roughly parallel I-66 was punched through Arlington in the early 1980s.

As the VHP item notes, much of 237 east of VA 120 was turned over to Arlington County in 2018. There still is some remnant signage on the relinquished part of Fairfax Drive.

[FLAVORTOWN]

If only Arlington could take over the Washington Blvd portion, 237 can be cut back to just Pickett Road and clear up all the confusion 

I wish at the very least they would at least place the route number on the road name signs attached to the traffic lights so that there is at least *some* indication... there's a bunch of em like that along Columbia Pike

[74/171FAN]

VDOT COMPLETES EXIT RAMP LANE ADDITION AT I-95 SOUTH RAMP TO ARTHUR ASHE BOULEVARD (EXIT 78) IN RICHMOND

[Hunty2022]

Surprisingly, I don’t think anyone here has said anything about the US 29/33 road work in Ruckersville.

I have multiple pictures of it, but they’re not good. But, they are from September, things have changed at the site since then.

[famartin]

Surprisingly, I don’t think anyone here has said anything about the US 29/33 road work in Ruckersville.

I have multiple pictures of it, but they’re not good. But, they are from September, things have changed at the site since then.

This project?
https://www.virginiadot.org/projects/culpeper/33-29improvements.asp

[Hunty2022]

Surprisingly, I don’t think anyone here has said anything about the US 29/33 road work in Ruckersville.

I have multiple pictures of it, but they’re not good. But, they are from September, things have changed at the site since then.

This project?
https://www.virginiadot.org/projects/culpeper/33-29improvements.asp

Yes, that one.

[plain]

What does this electronic sign display? There's another one on the Bypass EB as well.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ARznTXDSgy8FP99b6

[Hunty2022]

What does this electronic sign display? There's another one on the Bypass EB as well.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ARznTXDSgy8FP99b6

On the 10th, I saw the exact sign on my way to Waynesboro, I don’t think it said anything.

[Mapmikey]

What does this electronic sign display? There's another one on the Bypass EB as well.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ARznTXDSgy8FP99b6

On the 10th, I saw the exact sign on my way to Waynesboro, I don’t think it said anything.

it is just a tiny VMS for incidents and what not

https://goo.gl/maps/YB74nWEENg1uM1QE8