                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, September 27, 1996            TAG: 9609270605
SECTION: AUTO WEEKLY             PAGE: H1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: By Mary Scully
                                            LENGTH:   27 lines

SIGNS ALERT MOTORISTS TO CHANGES

MEMO: [Story was not available electronically. For complete story, see

microfilm for this date.] ILLUSTRATION: [Color] Photos by GARY C. KNAPP for The

Virginian-Pilot

A portable Variable Message Sign, provided by the Department of

Transportation, along Interstate 264 (heading west) before the

Ballentine Boulevard exit alerts motorists of "Road work ahead."

Programmers have only three lines of eight characters each to relay

traffic information to motorists.

Loren Reid, maintenance supervisor for VDOT's Traffic Management

System (TMS) at the TMS Control Center in Virginia Beach, programs a

Variable Message Sign.

This sign will be placed in an area where motorists will receive

this message: "Left lane closed."

KEYWORDS: ROAD SIGNS by CNB