THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 20, 1996 TAG: 9609190153
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Road Warrior
SOURCE: Raod Warrior
LENGTH: 117 lines
The city has hired a contractor to begin removal of some 16 pine trees fronting Sandbridge Road. The trees are nestled next to the road in sand and are beginning to uproot. Officials decided to go ahead and cut the trees down because they're a potential hazard, possibly blocking the hurricane evacuation route out of Sandbridge and knocking out power to hundreds of residents if they fell.
Traffic will be partially interrupted, but the work should be finished within a week.
Also, Bow Creek Boulevard from Plainsman Trail to Clubhouse Road is being repaved. Traffic control devices will be up and working to direct vehicles around the resurfacing. The job should be finished by mid-October, weather permitting.
SNARLS OF THE WEEK
The following people called Road's INFOLINE number with their complaints.
Pam Harrison, no address given. About your comment about the anonymous reporting through the Virginia Health Department of people with children loose in their car. I was one of the people that complained because someone sent my son's license plate number in. Unfortunately, my son had recently died. You cannot imagine how upsetting it was to get that letter with his name on it about him having an unsecured child in his car when he was already dead. I think maybe some people don't actually use the program the way it's intended, and I think it's a really good thing that they ended that anonymous reporting. Thank you.
RW: Not to trivialize your trauma, Pam, but it could be that someone was just off a number on a license plate or something freaky like that. But, as you say, there's always a risk of someone just being vindictive or just stupid as heck when it comes to anonymously reporting anything. Road's sincere condolences on your son.
Dan Kirsch, Honeygrove Road. I'm calling to complain about a view obstruction on the corner lot at the intersection of OVERMAN and FERRY PLANTATION roads. When you're trying to turn onto Ferry Plantation from Overman you can't see past the overgrown stuff and you actually have to pull up in the middle of the intersection to make a left. The intersection is across from an elementary school and it's an accident waiting to happen.
Can you help me try and get the city hot on this? I can't seem to get them to move. Thanks a lot.
RW: Road knows the area you speak of and reported the potential problem to engineers who will send someone out to check on it.
Kathy, Kempsville. Road Warrior, someone in Public Works certainly reads your column. The unpaved section on KEMPSVILLE ROAD between CENTERVILLE TURNPIKE and the CHESAPEAKE CITY LINE was immediately repaved after you printed my letter on the topic. Thanks and keep up the good work!
RW: Cool, Kathy. But don't credit Road with the work. Credit the guys in paving - Dan Kiley and his bunch. They're the go-getters on this job.
Debra Lee, Alexandria. I appreciate the fine job they have done of resurfacing KEMPSVILLE ROAD between CENTERVILLE TURNPIKE and the CHESAPEAKE CITY LINE. I was wondering when they're going to come back out and put down the markings so that we have a turn lane in front of DUNN LORING and MONUMENT drives?
Right now the road's about a mile wide but there's no lane to sit in while you're waiting to make the turn. Thanks.
RW: Man, you just can't please everyone. The markings are done by different folks and should come on the heels of the recent repaving, if it hasn't already been done.
Chuck Cohick, Kempsville. The MILITARY HIGHWAY and INDIAN RIVER ROAD intersection is still a mess. You said there were three or four people working on that project. I've seen three of them and only one of those was working. That has to be the slowest project on the East Coast.
RW: Ha ha. Good one, Chuck. Road's getting ready to do another progress drive-by. We're not looking for miracles. At this point we'll just be looking for driveability.
Fred, Virginia Beach. I'm calling about CULVER LANE from GENERAL BOOTH BOULEVARD to MULLHOLAND. When are they going to widen that road and bring it up to standards? They've added some new construction and I thought when they did that they had to upgrade the road.
We've got four lanes going into a two-lane road and it's about time - talking about spending all this money on all these big roads - they fixed up the little ones that everybody uses every day. Appreciate your column. It's really great. The only problem is I think most people who should read it don't. Keep up the good work. Thanks.
RW: There has been talk of widening CULVER however it's not in the Capital Improvement Plan yet and it needs to be to be considered an official project. The project idea is still there; it just has to go through all the channels to be approved and funds appropriated. And, at this point, it certainly wouldn't hurt to let your local councilperson know of your interest in getting this done pronto.
The following wrote to Road:
Samuel Leiderman, Aug. 5 - As new residents of Virginia Beach, my wife and I are horrified at the problems and dangers inherent in the feeder roads in the Laskin Road area. She has virtually stopped driving for fear of accidents. This plus the amazing number of drivers who drive through red lights have created the only blights on our move to the Beach.
I offer two suggestions to help the feeder-road situation (omitting the near-sighted refusal by the council to remove the feeders) as follows:
1. Make all feeders one-way in the same direction as the adjacent center lane.
2. Make the feeders single-lane roads, possibly utilizing the right or left lane for breakdown or aesthetic purposes, with more capable people than I making the decisions.
It is urgent that something be done. To stop after having eliminated other feeder roads is something short of criminal.
RW: Engineers have not forgotten Laskin Road. In fact, the project is listed in the 1995-96 Capital Improvement Program, but it's been moved way back so there's no date on construction starting. The plan was, or is, to widen the area much like Virginia Beach Boulevard was done a few years back. Engineers are all for getting rid of the feeder roads in that area and would rather wait until all the money's there to wipe them out. 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