THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 8, 1994 TAG: 9407070217
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Beth Barber
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Wednesday morning on I-264 heading east from Norfolk to the Beach, a barrel of oil fell off a truck and spilled onto the roadway. Traffic had started backing up about 8:20. At 9:20 when I reached the Merrimac exit, traffic had ground almost to a halt.
The road ahead was three lanes solid with cars. The road behind filled quickly. A few nervy jerks pulled onto the median, then turned left.
At 10:00 I reached the scene of the incident, just short of Military Circle. Having done what needed doing I'm sure with dispatch, two State Police cars, several highway trucks and a cleanup crew were arranged around a two-lane puddle of sand that forced three lanes of creeping traffic abruptly into one. From there on, the road ahead was empty. It was clear behind by 11 a.m.
The crawl to that point could have been worse. I had blue sky, bright sun and Dr. John's rhythm and blues. But of all the hassles that driving presents, inching down an interstate for no apparent reason has got to be in the top five.
It does give time to reflect, generously, on how you hope no one's hurt and, selfishly, how you're glad it isn't you. After the first half-hour, reflection wears into fume: about how more stuff seems to fall off vehicles, more vehicles seem to catch fire, more vehicles spread across more and more lanes - and then cram onto one narrow exit. Amazing, when you stop to think about it, that traffic doesn't back up more often.
But when you are stopped and think about it, it seems that traffic backs up often enough to have better traffic control back down the line of cars that keep entering the highway only to halt. How? I don't know. Radio broadcasts don't seem to suffice. When it looks to be unusual circumstances, or an unusually long delay, state and local police have a jointly developed plan for rerouting traffic from the highway. Wednesday's incident wasn't sufficiently unusual to warrant the plan.
The state Transportation Department's six-year plan includes $10 million worth of Traffic Management System - ``intelligent highway'' electronic signage in part to warn motorists of traffic snarls before they get on the road - along I-264 and Route 44. In the recent flap about 44's tolls, $10 million seemed mucho money. Wednesday morning it seemed a steal.
The department also plans to add HOV lanes between Military Circle and Norfolk's downtown, where traffic often slows for no reason that ever becomes apparent. That would mean more lanes open when more stuff falls off more vehicles crossing more lanes to one exit . . .
Remind me: How many millions for light rail? by CNB