THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 3, 1995 TAG: 9503020173
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: The Road Warrior
LENGTH: Long : 119 lines
Boy do we have things to talk about this week.
Road's been besieged by press releases.
Here's the beef:
One lane of I-64 EASTBOUND is going to be closed between the Malbon bridges (formerly twin bridges) to a half-mile beyond INDIAN RIVER ROAD.
The lane closure will start as soon as the weather dries a bit. What'll happen is they'll put a concrete barrier between the first and second lanes on the right. Everyone who wants to exit to Indian River Road, east or west, must be in the right lane before they reach the barrier.
What the Virginia Department of Transportation is doing is finishing up some work from last year. They're replacing concrete in the second lane from the right. The signs for the upcoming change are already out there, they're just waiting for some sun. They hope to have the work finished in May.
This information comes courtesy of my buddy, and yours, Dennis Gribok, with VDOT.
There'll be a temporary street closure at 19th STREET and BIRDNECK ROAD, between Jefferson Avenue and Birdneck. The street is being closed so that a sewer line can be laid. The street will be closed Monday and Tuesday . Traffic will be detoured via Birdneck Road, Monroe Avenue, 19th Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Did anyone besides Road notice that there are now lines on BONNEY ROAD?
Road saw the city folk out there last week painting the lines. They even had a street sweeper there. When Road drove by, Road gave those workers a big thumbs up!
To Reed Woodruff in reference to the flyover from I-64 to Route 44 and I-264 and people changing lanes at the last minute: VDOT engineers say they have done everything they can think of to this area so that people can make their maneuvers before the lanes exit.
They went out and put an additional lane in from the Virginia Beach Boulevard overpass to the exit to I-264. They have well-placed signs and say there is plenty of time and room for folks to get in their appropriate lanes.
Now, if they were to use barriers to make people get in the lane they want, there'd be back-ups and congestion because instead of waiting until that corner to switch lanes, folks would be waiting until they reached the barrier to switch lanes. There really isn't much more engineers can do for this area. I mean, how can you teach people to drive like decent human beings?
This last bit of news doesn't seem to be as relevant to the common man as the above, but VDOT is holding a series of forums around the state to review the standards for the construction of subdivision streets that eventually become part of the state's secondary road system.
The forums are set to allow devlopers, government and interested citizens become involved in reviewing and revising current standards.
The closest meeting to Hampton Roads will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday in Richmond at the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, North Run Corporate Center, 1630 E. Parham Road.
SNARLS OF THE WEEK
The following people called Road's INFOLINE number with their complaints.
Gloria Hendershot, Kempsville. I'm tired of the problems with people not obeying the speed limit between Kemps Landing Intermediate School and Kempsville High School in the morning.
The light starts blinking at 7:05 a.m. and no one does 25 mph. If the police need to make their quota for the month they should sit there and monitor these drivers. If people had children in school I'm sure they'd do 25 mph.
Please, everyone, do the speed limit in Kempsville.
RW: The police will be the first to tell you that they aren't held to ticket quotas. Of course, most of us tend to think that's debatable.
Anyway, you're right. That light is there to slow folks down and although Kemps Landing is currently not housing students, it may again one day.
So, folks, heed Gloria's plea and slow it down in Kempsville.
N. Shandelson, no address given. I'm calling about FIRST COLONIAL ROAD, north of Laskin. They repaved it and what happened to the loops in the left turn lane?
It's a real pain in the neck when you're sitting there waiting to go straight and the left arrow goes on and there's nobody turning. It's a waste of time.
I was hoping someone could get in there and put those loops in fast so I can get to work faster. Thank you.
RW: Road'd love to get you to work faster but can't report the malfunction (if that's the case) with an identifying intersection. First Colonial and which road? The left turn lane where? There are several lights north of Laskin Road.
Frank Johnson, I think BIRDNECK ROAD is really crazy. It's a two-lane road that's the only link between General Booth and Route 44.
Why don't they get a four-lane road? What's up with all these two-lane roads? And the speed limit is 35. Man, that is too slow and it's always bumper to bumper.
RW: If it's always bumper to bumper, why increase the speed?
Right now parts of the road are torn up because of construction to add a loop for those going northwest to get on Route 44, to widen the southbound exit lane from the exit down to Virginia Beach Boulevard and to readjust the southbound entrance ramp to Route 44.
The project started in October and should be finished by April 1996. VDOT is 20 percent done at this point.
Jenny. I'm calling to find out if you know anything about the timing of the light at INDIAN RIVER and KEMPSVILLE roads.
If you're turning left onto Ferrell Parkway, the light is too long. The people going the opposite way, going straight, can't get through because the light is so long for those going left.
RW: No doubt the lights on Indian River and Kempsville are a little out of whack, what with the prior construction and new signals. The chances of engineers going out to do a major overhaul on the coordination patterns there are slim. Well, they are and they aren't. Since the Congestion Mitigation for Air Quality (CMAQ) retiming project is currently sweeping through the city, the engineers are probably waiting to fine-tune those signals until the project reaches the Kempsville area. At this writing, the retiming project hasn't come near Kempsville. Until then, hang in there. MEMO: Tell the Road Warrior about your motoring problems. Get 'em off your
chest. Call on Infoline, at 640-5555. After a brief message, dial ROAD
(7623). When directed, press 1 to deliver your message, and 1 again to
sign off.
Or, write: The Road Warrior, Virginia Beach Beacon, 4565 Virginia
Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, Va. 23462.
Don't forget to include your name, address and neighborhood.
by CNB