Virginia

[Beltway]

$6.15 for 7 miles of roadway is absurd... but what's more absurd is $3.55 for 1.5 miles to connect from I-295 to the airport.
And even more absurd... $6.15 for 2.5 miles for most of that traffic using it as a link between I-95 and VA-5! That is $2.45 PER MILE.
And still no ramp from I-95 South to VA-895 East.
No wonder it is a failing roadway... 19,000 AADT between I-95 and VA-5, and less than 9,000 AADT east of there. The ramps to/from the airport and I-295 see less than 500 AADT.

19,000 AADT is up from the ~15,000 that prevailed from opening to about 2020, and it is hardly failing. I use it several times a month to get from Stratford Hills (near 150 & 76) to I-64 East and to the RIC airport. The toll is high but the only other freeway route is 76/195/95/64 and that winds thru the center of the city and has a toll of $1.80 itself. I read 3,900 AADT on the VA-281 airport connector (part of the 895 complex) and it also accesses growing light industrial development.

Route 895 never became the traffic magnet the planners hoped for, was funded as a PPP 92% privately funded, leading to the high tolls, but it absolutely has value. It's the fastest and most reliable James River crossing for anyone on I‑95 South, the best airport access for the entire southern corridor, a clean freight route, a critical redundancy crossing, middle circumferential freeway, built to Interstate standards, and the smoothest way to reach 295 and eastern Henrico. I use it several times a month because it consistently saves time and avoids the downtown and that reliability is worth the toll.

Route 895 crosses the James River on a 4,765-foot-long concrete box girder bridge that has a main span length of 730 feet, with 672 feet of horizontal navigational clearance and 145 feet of vertical navigational clearance over a 300-feet wide horizontal section, and the bridge's roadway has a maximum grade of 4.00%. This high clearance is necessary for ships heading to and from the Port of Richmond which is a mile north of the bridge. The highway is short in mileage but includes an expensive bridge which greatly added to the cost to build 895.

VDOT buying out 895 and making it toll-free wouldn't be hard -- the remaining bonded value is only around $150-$200 million. The real issue is long‑term maintenance of the James River bridge and viaducts. VDOT historically avoids taking over toll roads without a funding source, but 895 provides enough regional value -- airport access, redundancy, freight reliability -- that you can make a solid case it belongs in the state system and should eventually be toll‑free.

But for me -- do I want to drive it toll-free when that will take $150-200 million from other needed highway projects? Probably no.

[Thing 342]

All I can figure out is that enough people use it through an expense account or their company's EZPass, that they don't care what the cost is.  But for normal folks, $6.15 to get across the James River is highway robbery.  It's a shame the state can't buy it out, attach a $1.50 toll tops on the road, and actually make the road useful.

It's the default route Google Maps uses when navigating from I-295 S to I-85 S (and presumably from the Richmond Airport to many other destinations south of downtown). It doesn't surface price information on the tolls very well so out-of-town people get lead into the trap.

[Beltway]

It's the default route Google Maps uses when navigating from I-295 S to I-85 S (and presumably from the Richmond Airport to many other destinations south of downtown). It doesn't surface price information on the tolls very well so out-of-town people get lead into the trap.

That would be the fault of Google. The highway agencies do not own Google.

[hbelkins]

It's the default route Google Maps uses when navigating from I-295 S to I-85 S (and presumably from the Richmond Airport to many other destinations south of downtown). It doesn't surface price information on the tolls very well so out-of-town people get lead into the trap.

That would be the fault of Google. The highway agencies do not own Google.

It would be nice if we did. One of my since-retired colleagues had to do battle (unsuccessfully) with Google for years over posting I-69 before it was officially designated and signed in Kentucky.

Not to mention my woes with them listing the phone number for a rest area as my work cell number, meaning I'd get calls in all hours of the night from people who thought they'd left a purse or wallet or spare set of keys at said rest area.

[1995hoo]

....

Not to mention my woes with them listing the phone number for a rest area as my work cell number, meaning I'd get calls in all hours of the night from people who thought they'd left a purse or wallet or spare set of keys at said rest area.

And I'll guess they refuse to accept your explanation and you wind up hanging up on them. I remember 30 years ago this summer I worked for a small law office in Raleigh and our phone number ended with -3000. A nearby Country Inn and Suites had a phone number that was otherwise identical but ended in -5000. Problem was, the phone book had their number misprinted as ending in -3000. People would argue with us when we said they had the wrong number. "The phone book says this is the number." "Yes, I know, but they misprinted it." After further argument, I would usually say, "Look, just try calling the number I just gave you. If that number doesn't work, you can call back and yell at me for steering you wrong." Nobody ever called back.

[Beltway]

That would be the fault of Google. The highway agencies do not own Google.

It would be nice if we did. One of my since-retired colleagues had to do battle (unsuccessfully) with Google for years over posting I-69 before it was officially designated and signed in Kentucky.

Car nav systems and smart phone traffic apps as well. Some agencies put signs up to warn drivers about mistakes there, before they enter the road.

[hbelkins]

....

Not to mention my woes with them listing the phone number for a rest area as my work cell number, meaning I'd get calls in all hours of the night from people who thought they'd left a purse or wallet or spare set of keys at said rest area.

And I'll guess they refuse to accept your explanation and you wind up hanging up on them. I remember 30 years ago this summer I worked for a small law office in Raleigh and our phone number ended with -3000. A nearby Country Inn and Suites had a phone number that was otherwise identical but ended in -5000. Problem was, the phone book had their number misprinted as ending in -3000. People would argue with us when we said they had the wrong number. "The phone book says this is the number." "Yes, I know, but they misprinted it." After further argument, I would usually say, "Look, just try calling the number I just gave you. If that number doesn't work, you can call back and yell at me for steering you wrong." Nobody ever called back.

Actually, when I explained that Google had the number wrong and told them the correct number, they apologized for bothering me.

What happened was, I had sent out a press release indicating that the Junior Williamson Rest Area (located at Exit 33 on the Mountain Parkway) was going to be closed for some reason, and then I subsequently sent a press release announcing the rest area's reopening. PR people typically put their phone numbers on press releases in case reporters have additional questions. Because we're in a partnership with Waze (a Google subsidiary), that press release was sent to Waze. Because of that, Google/Waze somehow got the notion that my number was actually the rest area's number.

I did battle with Google for months to try to get it resolved, and eventually was successful with an assist from our Frankfort Waze liaison.

Surprisingly, I didn't get any "Google is always right" arguments.

[plain]

A couple of pics of the RPT at Exit 10 (Broad St) I found on the 'net, showing some original signage. Both of these are from 1959.

https://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/douglas-s.-freeman-high-school/108865



Looking NB on the turnpike. In the foreground is BROAD ST EAST, background is WEST

EDIT: I forgot to mention the EXIT (or RAMP probably, I can't tell) SPEED sign in the lower right of the pic. Obviously it's not black on yellow




On the ramp from Broad St to the turnpike. It's hard to see (I tried to not crop the pic too close so it wouldn't be too blurry) but I'm certain the warning sign here says MERGING TRAFFIC and the BGS says TURNPIKE at the top with NORTH SOUTH and the appropriate arrows underneath (no control cities or anything)

[Beltway]

A couple of pics of the RPT at Exit 10 (Broad St) I found on the 'net, showing some original signage. Both of these are from 1959.

That northbound offramp was eliminated when the Downtown Expressway was connected to I-95 in the mid-1970s. The upstream ramp that loops over the RR tracks replaced it.

That high-level steel bridge in the background is the old Marshall Street Viaduct.

[Mapmikey]

Maybe there were ground level shields out of frame but kinda odd there is no US 60 shield at a minimum on the BGS.

Broad St was also US or VA 33 at the time and a TO US 360 shield could also make sense.

[WillWeaverRVA]

A couple of pics of the RPT at Exit 10 (Broad St) I found on the 'net, showing some original signage. Both of these are from 1959.

https://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/douglas-s.-freeman-high-school/108865



Looking NB on the turnpike. In the foreground is BROAD ST EAST, background is WEST

EDIT: I forgot to mention the EXIT (or RAMP probably, I can't tell) SPEED sign in the lower right of the pic. Obviously it's not black on yellow




On the ramp from Broad St to the turnpike. It's hard to see (I tried to not crop the pic too close so it wouldn't be too blurry) but I'm certain the warning sign here says MERGING TRAFFIC and the BGS says TURNPIKE at the top with NORTH SOUTH and the appropriate arrows underneath (no control cities or anything)

Really cool finds!

[1995hoo]

Nice photos. Thanks for posting those. For anyone reading the thread who isn't familiar with I-95 through Richmond, this May 2025 Street View image is at roughly the same location as the first photo.

To my eye, the skip lines look more closely spaced than is now the norm. While they don't look as "thick" (for lack of a better word) as the ones on the Jersey Turnpike, the spacing looks more like how the Turnpike does it than how most highway departments space them now. It might just be the perspective from the camera angle, though.

Interesting to see basically a simple curb used as the divider.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Nice photos. Thanks for posting those. For anyone reading the thread who isn't familiar with I-95 through Richmond, this May 2025 Street View image is at roughly the same location as the first photo.

To my eye, the skip lines look more closely spaced than is now the norm. While they don't look as "thick" (for lack of a better word) as the ones on the Jersey Turnpike, the spacing looks more like how the Turnpike does it than how most highway departments space them now. It might just be the perspective from the camera angle, though.

Interesting to see basically a simple curb used as the divider.

That part doesn't really surprise me as the RPT was (and still is in quite a few places) substandard compared to modern-day interstate highway standards. The RPT was grandfathered in when it became I-95.

[1995hoo]

Nice photos. Thanks for posting those. For anyone reading the thread who isn't familiar with I-95 through Richmond, this May 2025 Street View image is at roughly the same location as the first photo.

To my eye, the skip lines look more closely spaced than is now the norm. While they don't look as "thick" (for lack of a better word) as the ones on the Jersey Turnpike, the spacing looks more like how the Turnpike does it than how most highway departments space them now. It might just be the perspective from the camera angle, though.

Interesting to see basically a simple curb used as the divider.

That part doesn't really surprise me as the RPT was (and still is in quite a few placed) substandard compared to modern-day interstate highway standards. The RPT was grandfathered in when it became I-95.

Sure. What I meant was more in the nature of that I find it interesting to see the sorts of things we now view as substandard that were once thought to be reasonable. In other words, I'm not surprised to see substandard design, I just find it interesting to see what kinds of substandard designs were used.

[Beltway]

Nice photos. Thanks for posting those. For anyone reading the thread who isn't familiar with I-95 through Richmond, this May 2025 Street View image is at roughly the same location as the first photo.
To my eye, the skip lines look more closely spaced than is now the norm. While they don't look as "thick" (for lack of a better word) as the ones on the Jersey Turnpike, the spacing looks more like how the Turnpike does it than how most highway departments space them now. It might just be the perspective from the camera angle, though.
Interesting to see basically a simple curb used as the divider.

That part doesn't really surprise me as the RPT was (and still is in quite a few places) substandard compared to modern-day interstate highway standards. The RPT was grandfathered in when it became I-95.

The narrow median section from Maury Street interchange to the north end was rebuilt with a flush paved median and a concrete median barrier in the mid-1980s.

[WillWeaverRVA]

This is random but I noticed on VDOT's 2026 update to its "VDOT Routes" map that VA 55 in northern Front Royal has officially been rerouted onto the quadrant road that was built at the northern end of the concurrency with US 340 and US 522. The original piece of VA 55 between the quadrant road and US 340/522 is now shown as VA 55Y. This VA 55Y is not signed as such and is only posted as "TO VA 55" or "TO US 340/522". Looks like it was designated in 2025.

VA 156 "Business" through Prince George County and Hopewell now shows as just plain VA 156, while the route that is posted as the mainline of VA 156 between VA 106 and VA 10 is shown as VA 156 BYPASS.

For some reason the routing between US 258 and VA 189 where it joins US 58 south of Franklin shows up as VA 189 ALT. The end of this segment is posted with an erroneous END VA 189 shield. 

[plain]

Maybe there were ground level shields out of frame but kinda odd there is no US 60 shield at a minimum on the BGS.

Broad St was also US or VA 33 at the time and a TO US 360 shield could also make sense.

What you see in the photo are actually the exit gore signs that were used on the turnpike (I believe they went away when VDOT took over the pike in the 1970's). The advanced signs *might* have had route shields on them, I'll have to do some more digging.

[Takumi]

This is random but I noticed on VDOT's 2026 update to its "VDOT Routes" map that VA 55 in northern Front Royal has officially been rerouted onto the quadrant road that was built at the northern end of the concurrency with US 340 and US 522. The original piece of VA 55 between the quadrant road and US 340/522 is now shown as VA 55Y. This VA 55Y is not signed as such and is only posted as "TO VA 55" or "TO US 340/522". Looks like it was designated in 2025.

That's a bit odd. It seemed like VDOT wasn't designating new Y routes anymore with the US 17 ALT at Cosner's Corner and the new US 311 ALT using the old 311 routing.

VA 156 "Business" through Prince George County and Hopewell now shows as just plain VA 156, while the route that is posted as the mainline of VA 156 between VA 106 and VA 10 is shown as VA 156 BYPASS.

This has been designated officially for awhile now. Hopewell, for all its signing issues, has only posted as mainline 156 as far back as I can remember.

Unrelated, it appears the new Hayfields State Park in Highland County did NOT get a state primary route assigned to its main road. I wonder why some state parks got primary routes and others don't.

[Mapmikey]

hat's a bit odd. It seemed like VDOT wasn't designating new Y routes anymore with the US 17 ALT at Cosner's Corner and the new US 311 ALT using the old 311 routing.

They designated another Y route last year...on the road between US 11/F055 and I-81 below Natural Bridge.  This the signed route of US 11 and would only make sense if US 11 is going back to using F055.

VA 156 "Business" through Prince George County and Hopewell now shows as just plain VA 156, while the route that is posted as the mainline of VA 156 between VA 106 and VA 10 is shown as VA 156 BYPASS.
This has been designated officially for awhile now. Hopewell, for all its signing issues, has only posted as mainline 156 as far back as I can remember.

VA 156 Bypass has been how its labeled in the VDOT traffic logs back over 20 years.  Also in the 2003 route log.  Also on all official maps I spot checked since it was designated.

The CTB action to place it in the primary system, pg. 224 at https://ctb.virginia.gov/media/ctb/meeting-archives/meeting-archive-before-2001/ctb-archives-pdf/CTB-09-1982-01.PDF, does not specify the designation.

[74/171FAN]

Moved the I-44 discussion to:  https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=37062.0

[kphoger]

Moved the I-44 discussion to:  https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=37062.0

Hey, I think you swept up one too many posts.  This one should be moved back into the Virginia thread:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=37062.msg3039038#msg3039038

Maybe there were ground level shields out of frame but kinda odd there is no US 60 shield at a minimum on the BGS.

Broad St was also US or VA 33 at the time and a TO US 360 shield could also make sense.

What you see in the photo are actually the exit gore signs that were used on the turnpike (I believe they went away when VDOT took over the pike in the 1970's). The advanced signs *might* have had route shields on them, I'll have to do some more digging.

[74/171FAN]

Moved back here.

[kphoger]

Moved back here.

Yay, now this post is stuck as a [New] post.  Time to log out and see if that helps...

Thank you, though.

[wriddle082]

VDOT to renumber the exits along US 23 in Norton and Big Stone Gap to mileage-based.

Exits 1 & 2 in Big Stone Gap --> exits 33 & 35
Exits 1 & 2 in Norton --> exits 42 & 44

Well I did not see US 23 getting mileage exit numbers coming. Maybe this is why VDOT put them in the traffic logs.

US 23 has had border-to-border mileposts (well, nearly border to border, the numbers cut off somewhere between Pound and the Kentucky state line) for about 20 years.

I think I did see mileposts today going down the mountain towards Pound (every 2/10 of a mile).  But the Exit 1's and 2's in Norton and Big Stone Gap are still there.

They have posted new exit gore signs with the exit numbers at all four of the exits, but I only saw exit tabs added to the brown guide signs at Exit 42 in Norton.  No exit number tabs added to any existing green guide signage.  This is all as of yesterday when I passed through.

[NE2]

This tiny piece of roundabout carries both northbound and southbound US 15.