Virginia

[Thing 342]

Those loop ramps are a death trap, so pretty happy that they're being removed. That interchange has been bookended by lights for years now so I don't think a B6 parclo will do too much to hurt traffic flow.

I'm hoping that they'll widen the bridge enough to fit three lanes underneath eventually.

[sprjus4]

A more ambitious project could've added a flyover onto I-95 South from US-58 West, or even constructed an urban grade-separated interchange at Market Drive, but there seems to be no long term desire to upgrade any portion of US-58 between I-95 and Hampton Roads outside of a few mentions in HRTPO meeting agendas.

[Beltway]

Those loop ramps are a death trap, so pretty happy that they're being removed. That interchange has been bookended by lights for years now so I don't think a B6 parclo will do too much to hurt traffic flow.
I'm hoping that they'll widen the bridge enough to fit three lanes underneath eventually.

I am opposed to the breaking up of cloverleaf interchanges, at least in nearly every case where it has been done.

If it was important enough to build back then, it is important enough to build C-D roadways on the freeway to intercept the loop weaving movements at a low speed. If there is high enough traffic, replace one or more loops with a semi-directional ramp.

The problem is, heavy construction has become so fantastically expensive that it will cost $47 million to do what they have planned so far.

[Beltway]

A more ambitious project could've added a flyover onto I-95 South from US-58 West, or even constructed an urban grade-separated interchange at Market Drive, but there seems to be no long term desire to upgrade any portion of US-58 between I-95 and Hampton Roads outside of a few mentions in HRTPO meeting agendas.

The 3.5 mile 6-lane US-58 widening with access management is nearing completion west of the Suffolk Bypass.

The flyover ramp under construction just east of the bypass at the landfill will in effect upgrade 2.8 miles of US-58 to full freeway standards. That leaves 1.8 miles remaining to build an interchange at the airport and service roads, to upgrade the last segment of US-58 to full freeway standards between the Suffolk Bypass and I-664.

The Bowers Hill Interchange itself will be upgraded

The Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements Study evaluates options to improve the Bowers Hill Interchange in the cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk and Portsmouth and covers the junction of I-664, I-64, I-264, U.S. Route 13, U.S. Route 58, U.S. Route 460 and VA Route 191 (Jolliff Road), as well as seven miles of I-664 to College Drive (exit 8A).

[Thing 342]

A more ambitious project could've added a flyover onto I-95 South from US-58 West, or even constructed an urban grade-separated interchange at Market Drive, but there seems to be no long term desire to upgrade any portion of US-58 between I-95 and Hampton Roads outside of a few mentions in HRTPO meeting agendas.

I think a realigned US-58 bypass with a larger interchange to the north of the existing one would be more effective for a long-distance expressway corridor, there's not a ton of land to work with in this area (the loop ramps have a 145ft radius). An upgrade to add the width required for CI/CD lanes would probably require rebuilding effectively the entire interchange.

[sprjus4]

A more ambitious project could've added a flyover onto I-95 South from US-58 West, or even constructed an urban grade-separated interchange at Market Drive, but there seems to be no long term desire to upgrade any portion of US-58 between I-95 and Hampton Roads outside of a few mentions in HRTPO meeting agendas.

The 3.5 mile 6-lane US-58 widening with access management is nearing completion west of the Suffolk Bypass.

The flyover ramp under construction just east of the bypass at the landfill will in effect upgrade 2.8 miles of US-58 to full freeway standards. That leaves 1.8 miles remaining to build an interchange at the airport and service roads, to upgrade the last segment of US-58 to full freeway standards between the Suffolk Bypass and I-664.

The Bowers Hill Interchange itself will be upgraded

The Bowers Hill Interchange Improvements Study evaluates options to improve the Bowers Hill Interchange in the cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk and Portsmouth and covers the junction of I-664, I-64, I-264, U.S. Route 13, U.S. Route 58, U.S. Route 460 and VA Route 191 (Jolliff Road), as well as seven miles of I-664 to College Drive (exit 8A).

These are all great projects, but there's still a lot missing for the overall corridor. The widening in west Suffolk is coming along good, after driving through yesterday, it appears it's virtually complete once they finish paving. Glad to see that wrapping up and hopefully relieves congestion through there.

With that being said, the section between the western end of the Suffolk bypass and at minimum Holland, if not Franklin, needs to be bypassed with a controlled access freeway. The widening project is an urban six lane boulevard through an area that is significantly growing with businesses, homes, and lots of warehouses and industry. It's not a long term solution for a through route connecting a metropolitan area of 2+ million and one of the largest ports on the East Coast, to half the United States (I-95 and I-85 South).

Southampton County has a portion of US-58 between Courtland and Franklin that is lowered to 50 mph, and the residents and local officials want 45 mph. Those local officials also oppose any intersection improvements and a bypass that was proposed some years ago by I believe a Kimley-Horn study.

The rest of the corridor is largely adequate (albeit a slow 60 mph speed limit for a well-designed highway). It's just disappointing to see very little action or incentive from VDOT to complete these pieces (Suffolk to Holland bypass, Courtland to Franklin bypass) - let alone simply a study. The long range goal should be a limited access freeway connecting I-95 (at minimum) to Hampton Roads, with smaller projects working to achieve that goal over time.

Bowers Hill to Suffolk is promising to see, particularly with that flyover at the SPSA facility. That is a particularly dangerous intersection with tractor trailers having to cross 3 lanes of traffic often moving at 70+ mph, an area that has seen pretty nasty wrecks. Hopefully the remaining intersections are closed and Suffolk (I know technically northern Suffolk is served by I-664) can finally be linked to Hampton Roads with a proper limited-access highway.

[sprjus4]

Those loop ramps are a death trap, so pretty happy that they're being removed. That interchange has been bookended by lights for years now so I don't think a B6 parclo will do too much to hurt traffic flow.
I'm hoping that they'll widen the bridge enough to fit three lanes underneath eventually.

I am opposed to the breaking up of cloverleaf interchanges, at least in nearly every case where it has been done.

If it was important enough to build back then, it is important enough to build C-D roadways on the freeway to intercept the loop weaving movements at a low speed. If there is high enough traffic, replace one or more loops with a semi-directional ramp.

The problem is, heavy construction has become so fantastically expensive that it will cost $47 million to do what they have planned so far.

I believe they are proposing something similar for the I-85 interchange with US-58, realigning the ramps to form a diverging diamond interchange, or a roundabout interchange.

See Figure 25. I'm not exactly sure what the issues are with this current setup.
https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/media/vdotvirginiagov/projects/richmond/us-58-arterial-preservation-plan/asset_upload_file767_146963.pdf

—

I do find it interesting they are choosing a par-clo interchange for this bridge replacement project in Emporia, considering not too long ago with their US-58 corridor study (smaller upgrades), they recommended conversion to a DDI or SPUI.

See Figure 8.
https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/media/vdotvirginiagov/projects/hampton-roads/us-58-arterial-management-plan/US_58_Arterial_Preservation_Plan_Maps.pdf

[wriddle082]

A more ambitious project could've added a flyover onto I-95 South from US-58 West, or even constructed an urban grade-separated interchange at Market Drive, but there seems to be no long term desire to upgrade any portion of US-58 between I-95 and Hampton Roads outside of a few mentions in HRTPO meeting agendas.

Agreed, a flyover or fly-under for that movement needs to be considered, but as for the Market Dr. intersection, it's currently a three-phase traffic signal layout, so they could improve the intersection to make it two phases and that might alleviate the container truck backups a good bit.

Anyway, just today I discovered a new route between Franklin, VA and Garysburg, NC that was quite pleasant, and I think I will start using it for the foreseeable future to completely blow off Emporia for my regular work trips to/from Hampton Roads.

[Beltway]

The long range goal should be a limited access freeway connecting I-95 (at minimum) to Hampton Roads, with smaller projects working to achieve that goal over time.

Like maybe 2045 or 2050, frankly it is not much of a priority today. Traffic there is rather modest compared to rural Interstate highways. It can be upgraded incrementally over time.

Google Maps times fastest route, usual traffic is 70 minutes for 68 miles. An all freeway route would not make much of a difference.

The US-460 freeway Petersburg-Suffolk would be a far better expenditure of funds for a new freeway. That is a far less capable highway than the US-58 segment. Six different things are wrong with it, none of which are present on US-58. Having a US-460 freeway between Richmond-Petersburg and South Hampton Roads would be an ideal addition and a means to avoid having to cross Hampton Roads.

I do find it interesting they are choosing a par-clo interchange for this bridge replacement project in Emporia, considering not too long ago with their US-58 corridor study (smaller upgrades), they recommended conversion to a DDI or SPUI.

Fill out a comment sheet and send it in. PDF form on the project website.

This is one that I will object to.

[WillWeaverRVA]

I am opposed to the breaking up of cloverleaf interchanges, at least in nearly every case where it has been done.

I don't know, something definitely needs to happen to the cloverleaf at US 1/US 301 and VA 150 because so many accidents happen there. VDOT is doing a corridor study with public comment for that stretch of VA 150 and I suggested finding some way to redo that interchange. VA 150 also has tight cloverleaves at VA 10 and US 60 that often result in accidents - the US 60 one in particular is problematic because there's some huge development going up on the Chesterfield County side of it.

[plain]

I am opposed to the breaking up of cloverleaf interchanges, at least in nearly every case where it has been done.

I don't know, something definitely needs to happen to the cloverleaf at US 1/US 301 and VA 150 because so many accidents happen there. VDOT is doing a corridor study with public comment for that stretch of VA 150 and I suggested finding some way to redo that interchange. VA 150 also has tight cloverleaves at VA 10 and US 60 that often result in accidents - the US 60 one in particular is problematic because there's some huge development going up on the Chesterfield County side of it.

That interchange with US 60 was originally a diamond that was modified a bit to squeeze in the loops. Obviously VDOT didn't have the foresight then before making that decision (honestly, not too many agencies would have at that time to be honest) but here we are.

The Emporia interchange had that cloverleaf from the jump, but given how tight it is, it was pretty much flawed from the jump. It might have worked back in the day when there was a lot less traffic, but on a stretch of road where drivers routinely drives 80+ mph, that short merge area is not a good look.

I believe US 58 itself was two lanes (thru) on the bridge originally, so at least there was a merge area at first. Obviously the bridge wasn't widened when 58 became 4-laned on either side, so here we are with the stop signs. And that itself led to some nasty crashes over the years.

[sprjus4]

Like maybe 2045 or 2050, frankly it is not much of a priority today. Traffic there is rather modest compared to rural Interstate highways. It can be upgraded incrementally over time.

I agree, but the problem is there doesn't seem to be interest in even doing that, as a long range 20-30 year plan, outside of the Bowers Hill portion which is already needed due to the high traffic volumes and safety concerns with the crossovers. Every improvement proposed between west Suffolk and Emporia, outside of the Courtland interchange they built around a decade ago, has been at-grade or small intersection modification. There's been zero projects that have contributed toward the long range idea of an upgraded corridor.

I'd say, if nothing else, the portion between Suffolk and Holland needs to be the highest priority on the route, over the next 10 years, to almost complete an expressway grade corridor (free-flow, 60+ mph speed limit, no traffic signals) between Hampton Roads and I-95. The rest of the corridor, outside of that 50 mph zone near Courtland (which should be the next bypass built) is capable as a 60 mph expressway without any issues.

It is unfortunate they poured nearly $100 million into widening US-58 into a six lane arterial as opposed to putting that money toward a proper bypass between Holland and Suffolk.

I'm not suggesting it the rest (Holland to Emporia) needs to be upgraded to limited access today, but certainly should be a long range goal 20-30 years out as the region grows further.

The US-460 freeway Petersburg-Suffolk would be a far better expenditure of funds for a new freeway. That is a far less capable highway than the US-58 segment. Six different things are wrong with it, none of which are present on US-58. Having a US-460 freeway between Richmond-Petersburg and South Hampton Roads would be an ideal addition and a means to avoid having to cross Hampton Roads.

Also agree, but again very little interest or push by VDOT or any of the localities on the route. Suffolk is developing a major commerce park off of US-58 at US-460, which will develop all of the remaining open space in which the US-460 relocation was supposed to traverse and tie into US-58. That essentially kills any hope of it ever coming back to life.

Suffolk will be widening the existing US-460 route into a six lane divided urban arterial for the first few miles west of US-58, but not anywhere close to being freeway or expressway standard.

[Beltway]

I'd say, if nothing else, the portion between Suffolk and Holland needs to be the highest priority on the route, over the next 10 years, to almost complete an expressway grade corridor (free-flow, 60+ mph speed limit, no traffic signals) between Hampton Roads and I-95.

No -- I don't agree -- US-58 carries rather modest traffic volumes compared to a rural Interstate highway. And the average speeds are about 58 mph end to end. It is a modern rural arterial highway and 37% of the length is freeway and 10% is expressway, and that helps the capacity and average speeds.

As far as long range plans, they can change. The focus now is on building I-64 out to a 21st century design, a 2050 design, and that should be complete in 2028 at a cost of about $6 billion. That refers to all of I-64 east of I-295.

Once that is done then long range priorities can be reexamined for other arterial routes.

The US-460 freeway Petersburg-Suffolk would be a far better expenditure of funds for a new freeway. That is a far less capable highway than the US-58 segment. Six different things are wrong with it, none of which are present on US-58. Having a US-460 freeway between Richmond-Petersburg and South Hampton Roads would be an ideal addition and a means to avoid having to cross Hampton Roads.

Also agree, but again very little interest or push by VDOT or any of the localities on the route. Suffolk is developing a major commerce park off of US-58 at US-460, which will develop all of the remaining open space in which the US-460 relocation was supposed to traverse and tie into US-58. That essentially kills any hope of it ever coming back to life.

It was killed as a political stunt by Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2016, after 10 years of study and completion of a full NEPA EIS process.

There are other ways of tying the freeway into the Suffolk Bypass.

In any event, the aforementioned completion of the expansion of I-64 will obviate the need of using US-460 as an official alternate (and there are VMS signs on the Interstate system to give competing times) to I-64 Richmond --South Hampton Roads.

My frequent trips from Richmond to VA Beach Centerville area use the US-460 route during peak hours, as you are taking a chance of 15 to 20 minutes of delay on I-64 HRBT; and the I-664 route is longer in distance by about 15 minutes.

Once HRBT Expansion is complete to eight lanes, I-64 will be the standard route to use, so US-460 will no longer be a designated alternate to I-64, and that will demote the importance of US-460 to that of a regular rural arterial. At least nearly every needed left-turn lane has been built on that route.

[Beltway]

I don't know, something definitely needs to happen to the cloverleaf at US 1/US 301 and VA 150 because so many accidents happen there. VDOT is doing a corridor study with public comment for that stretch of VA 150 and I suggested finding some way to redo that interchange. VA 150 also has tight cloverleaves at VA 10 and US 60 that often result in accidents - the US 60 one in particular is problematic because there's some huge development going up on the Chesterfield County side of it.

I go thru US 1/US 301 and VA 150 all the time, and I have not seen any accidents, but after Route 895 was built, having a thru 150-895 route with two closely spaced interchanges can be a hassle especially going VA-150 SB to I-95.

That interchange with US 60 was originally a diamond that was modified a bit to squeeze in the loops. Obviously VDOT didn't have the foresight then before making that decision (honestly, not too many agencies would have at that time to be honest) but here we are.

That was done about 1980. The solution to that was building the Powhite Parkway Extension to take the heavy load off of that interchange of RMA Powhite -- VA-150 -- US-60 West movements.

Now it is mainly just local access.

[sprjus4]

I'd say, if nothing else, the portion between Suffolk and Holland needs to be the highest priority on the route, over the next 10 years, to almost complete an expressway grade corridor (free-flow, 60+ mph speed limit, no traffic signals) between Hampton Roads and I-95.

No -- I don't agree -- US-58 carries rather modest traffic volumes compared to a rural Interstate highway. And the average speeds are about 58 mph end to end. It is a modern rural arterial highway and 37% of the length is freeway and 10% is expressway, and that helps the capacity and average speeds.

I'm saying the portion between Suffolk and Holland should be the highest priority on the US-58 corridor, not the entire region as a whole. I-64 is obviously a more important priority for Hampton Roads, and is currently being widened in its entirety.

In terms of US-58 and where I would rank priority, from least (1) to greatest (6). I'm excluding the existing freeway segments around Franklin, Courtland, Holland, and Suffolk.
1) Emporia to Courtland (26 miles) - currently a 60 mph divided highway with zero traffic signals

2) Franklin to Holland (4.2 miles) - currently a 60 mph divided highway with one traffic signal

3) Courtland to Franklin (2.5 miles) - currently a 50 mph divided highway with one traffic signal

4) Emporia area / I-95 interchange - as I write this, there is currently a 0.6 mile backup between the Market Drive traffic signal and the US-301 interchange going west. The upcoming I-95 interchange replacement project does not address this signal, and adds yet another traffic signal to the mix.

5) Suffolk to Bowers Hill (4.5 miles) - currently a 60 mph divided highway with zero traffic signals. Six lanes, a few (dangerous) at grade intersections, carries interstate volumes of traffic in an urban area. There always seems to be some major accident in this area, caused by the at-grade crossings. One intersection is currently being replaced with a flyover.

6) Suffolk to Holland (8.5 miles) - currently a 45-55 mph divided highway with several traffic signals. A 3 mile portion is being widened to a six lane divided urban arterial. Significant development in this area with a commerce park & several warehouses... heavy concentration of tractor trailers often seen in this area going to/from the ports to I-95 or I-85. Currently a major bottleneck, especially during peak periods, should be alleviated some by the widening, but I would not say it's a long term solution.