Virginia

[FLAVORTOWN]

Oops. Did you take a picture?

Seven Corners has plagued VDOT for a while, there was briefly a VA 613 shield there last year before it got fixed.

I'll try to take a pic if I'm there again. The directional arrow that points to Hillside Ave also isn't there, they just put a 388 shield and left...

[74/171FAN]

Well that 388 shield should be sent to VA 20 near Charlottesville (which of course Google now shows that as VA 338...)

[WillWeaverRVA]

A friend of mine went and got a picture, and holy crap, not only is it wrong, it's also ugly.

[Takumi]

Is that Series F? Or just an F for effort?

[WillWeaverRVA]

Is that Series F? Or just an F for effort?

Both. Seriously, this is horrible. Even the VA 7 shield looks ridiculously ugly.

[1995hoo]

Wow. VDOT's styling of the Virginia state route shield has been getting steadily uglier in recent years and has become more "gumdrop-like," for lack of a better description, but those may be the ugliest two I've seen yet.

I note the missing arrow below the error shield, too.

[Beltway]

VDOT opens new eastbound section of $300 million Route 58 Lovers Leap widening project
https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/news-events/news/salem-district/vdot-opens-new-eastbound-section-of-300-million-route-58-lovers-leap-widening-project.php
Excerpt:

MEADOWS OF DAN, Virginia – The Route 58 Lovers Leap project in Patrick County reached a key milestone with the completion of the new eastbound lanes. This section will open to traffic July 30. 

These lanes are part of the $300 million road project widening 7.4 miles of Route 58 and addressing safety challenges presented by the steep grade and winding curves that drivers encounter on Lovers Leap Mountain. This section of Route 58 currently is restricted to tractor trailers, and the restriction will be removed upon completion of this project.

[hbelkins]

VDOT opens new eastbound section of $300 million Route 58 Lovers Leap widening project
https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/news-events/news/salem-district/vdot-opens-new-eastbound-section-of-300-million-route-58-lovers-leap-widening-project.php
Excerpt:

MEADOWS OF DAN, Virginia – The Route 58 Lovers Leap project in Patrick County reached a key milestone with the completion of the new eastbound lanes. This section will open to traffic July 30. 

These lanes are part of the $300 million road project widening 7.4 miles of Route 58 and addressing safety challenges presented by the steep grade and winding curves that drivers encounter on Lovers Leap Mountain. This section of Route 58 currently is restricted to tractor trailers, and the restriction will be removed upon completion of this project.

I can't remember ... is there a posted truck route for this section of US 58 in the same way there is farther west on US 58 between VA 91 (Damascus) and VA 16 (Volney/Mouth of Wilson)? If so, what would it be? VA 8 to US 221 back to US 58 at Hillsville?

[Beltway]

VDOT opens new eastbound section of $300 million Route 58 Lovers Leap widening project

I can't remember ... is there a posted truck route for this section of US 58 in the same way there is farther west on US 58 between VA 91 (Damascus) and VA 16 (Volney/Mouth of Wilson)? If so, what would it be? VA 8 to US 221 back to US 58 at Hillsville?

There is a truck restriction at Lovers Leap, but VDOT never signed an official truck route around it. The de facto routing is VA-8 -- US-221 -- US-58 at Hillsville, but it's not designated as "US 58 TRUCK" the way the Damascus–Volney bypass is.

Once the u.c. Vesta and Lovers Leap are finished, the truck restriction at Lovers Leap will be removed, and the entire Hillsville–Martinsville corridor becomes fully open to truck traffic. The remaining 2-lane section at Crooked Oak is already truck‑legal, so those two projects complete the truck‑accessible route.

Construction of Crooked Oak is planned to start in FY29.

[sprjus4]

VDOT opens new eastbound section of $300 million Route 58 Lovers Leap widening project

I can't remember ... is there a posted truck route for this section of US 58 in the same way there is farther west on US 58 between VA 91 (Damascus) and VA 16 (Volney/Mouth of Wilson)? If so, what would it be? VA 8 to US 221 back to US 58 at Hillsville?

There is a truck restriction at Lovers Leap, but VDOT never signed an official truck route around it. The de facto routing is VA-8 -- US-221 -- US-58 at Hillsville, but it's not designated as "US 58 TRUCK" the way the Damascus–Volney bypass is.

IIRC, VA-8 is also not recommended for tractor trailers south of Floyd... it's quite mountainous and windy through that area.

[Mapmikey]

There is no posted truck route because the restriction is only for trucks >65 ft

https://maps.app.goo.gl/G7dyfBH1xhXZkzRh7

US 58 is way worse from VA 16 to Damascus but trucks are still only not recommended as opposed to prohibited. They give an alternative but it's not posted as US 58 Truck anywhere.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rwACQwB9uLP3sPQf6

[Beltway]

A typical highway tractor adds about 20-22 feet to the overall length of the combination.
Standard length trailer and tractor --
48‑ft trailer about 68-70 ft overall
53‑ft trailer about 73-75 ft overall

So the prohibition on combinations longer than 65 feet prohibits them. The old road just is not suitable for large trucks. Rebuilding it will open up a new large truck route between I-77 at Hillsville and I-64 in Chesapeake across the southern tier of the state.

[FLAVORTOWN]

A friend of mine went and got a picture, and holy crap, not only is it wrong, it's also ugly.

They came back to install the missing left arrow sign but it still says 388 out there...

[Thing 342]

Wow. VDOT's styling of the Virginia state route shield has been getting steadily uglier in recent years and has become more "gumdrop-like," for lack of a better description, but those may be the ugliest two I've seen yet.

I note the missing arrow below the error shield, too.

I think that's a standard wide state route shield (with slight point at the bottom where the two arcs meet). I've seen worse: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fwxL4sVCe2optTqDA

[WillWeaverRVA]

A friend of mine went and got a picture, and holy crap, not only is it wrong, it's also ugly.

They came back to install the missing left arrow sign but it still says 388 out there...

I submitted a request to have it fixed.

[Pink Jazz]

I just wonder why VDOT just downright refuses increasing the speed limit on I-264 between First Colonial and Witchduck Rd (VA 190). This section has a 70 mph design speed and the flow of traffic is consistently faster than the 55-mph speed limit. Practically all other 49 states would post a freeway with similar geometry at 60 or 65 mph. I wonder why does VDOT refuse? I know it was considered back in 2001, but this segment keeps getting skipped over each time there is a speed limit increase in the Hampton Roads area. Can the FHWA step in and order a traffic study?

[D-Dey65]

Do you know what I'd like to do regarding Virginia? 1)Find all the exact county-specific and city-specific images of all the roads in Wikimedia Commons, and 2)Find more evidence of BL 95 in Emporia. I was also going to say show my mother why I like places like Ashland and the Horne's restaurant in Port Royal on my next road trip, but I'm not sure she's going to live long enough for that.

[Mapmikey]

Do you know what I'd like to do regarding Virginia? 1)Find all the exact county-specific and city-specific images of all the roads in Wikimedia Commons, and 2)Find more evidence of BL 95 in Emporia. I was also going to say show my mother why I like places like Ashland and the Horne's restaurant in Port Royal on my next road trip, but I'm not sure she's going to live long enough for that.

Why do you believe there is a 95 BL in Emporia?

Virginia has no interstate business loops/spurs.

[1995hoo]

Do you know what I'd like to do regarding Virginia? 1)Find all the exact county-specific and city-specific images of all the roads in Wikimedia Commons, and 2)Find more evidence of BL 95 in Emporia. I was also going to say show my mother why I like places like Ashland and the Horne's restaurant in Port Royal on my next road trip, but I'm not sure she's going to live long enough for that.

Why do you believe there is a 95 BL in Emporia?

Virginia has no interstate business loops/spurs.

In fairness to D-Dey65, Wikipedia does say there was one there at some time in the past.

Edited to add: And there's this.

[Mapmikey]

Do you know what I'd like to do regarding Virginia? 1)Find all the exact county-specific and city-specific images of all the roads in Wikimedia Commons, and 2)Find more evidence of BL 95 in Emporia. I was also going to say show my mother why I like places like Ashland and the Horne's restaurant in Port Royal on my next road trip, but I'm not sure she's going to live long enough for that.

Why do you believe there is a 95 BL in Emporia?

Virginia has no interstate business loops/spurs.

In fairness to D-Dey65, Wikipedia does say there was one there at some time in the past.

Edited to add: And there's this.

There is a photo of US 301 Bypass on 95, but I've not seen any evidence of a 95 Bus. I will poke around to see if I can find anything.

[Rothman]

[sprjus4]

I-64 speed cameras may be coming to James City County

I-64 speed cameras are coming to James City County.

https://www.jamescitycountyva.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/6862

[Takumi]

I-64 speed cameras may be coming to James City County

I-64 speed cameras are coming to James City County.

https://www.jamescitycountyva.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/6862

Given that James City County already uses speed cameras elsewhere (I passed some when staying there last year), you'd have to have been a complete idiot to think this wasn't inevitable.

[sprjus4]

James City County saw the revenue that New Kent County was making and couldn't resist.

[Beltway]

The idea that James City County (assuming that they implement this) jumped into work‑zone speed cameras because "New Kent was making money" doesn't line up with how Interstate work‑zone enforcement actually works in Virginia. The revenue narrative falls apart as soon as you look at the mechanics.

The cameras on I‑64 exist because work‑zone crashes on the Interstate are high‑severity and high‑injury, and the locality -- not VDOT, not FHWA, not State Police -- handles the emergency services response. Every serious crash on the Interstate pulls county police/fire/rescue/EMS/wrecker/hospital into the corridor. That's the operational burden. Neither the state nor the federal absorb any of that. When VDOT reconstructs a major Interstate, the county pays the price in emergency‑response workload, and it has a major impact on their ability to serve their residents.

Police also can't safely enforce inside an active Interstate work zone. You can't run traffic stops in a barrier‑walled construction zone with no shoulders. Staffing doesn't allow sustained manual enforcement even if it were safe. The cameras fill a gap that traditional enforcement physically can't cover.

The revenue claim doesn't survive contact with the statute. Virginia limits these cameras to active work zones, requires VDOT approval, uses flat civil penalties, and produces no court fees, no DMV fees, and no insurance surcharges. Vendor and administrative costs consume most of the civil penalty. If a locality wanted a reliable revenue stream, work‑zone speed cameras would be one of the least efficient tools available.

And while people debate how much actual speed and accident reduction you get from cameras, the perception of slowing traffic in a work zone is enough that authorities see value in using them. Worker‑protection optics matter, and the cameras create a visible deterrent in places where police can't operate.

New Kent's program gets mischaracterized. The "they made a lot of money" line ignores statutory limits and costs. James City County didn't look across the county line and decide to cash in. They're dealing with the same Interstate‑driven emergency services load, the same staffing constraints, and the same work‑zone safety issues that come with major I‑64 reconstruction.

Revenue folklore is the internet talking point. Interstate operational burden -- especially emergency services response -- is the actual driver.

12 mph over is the state statute threshold for ticketing, you can look it up. I set my cruise control at 8 mph over and you won't be cited.