DATE: Sunday, July 20, 1997                 TAG: 9707200079

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   62 lines

MORE DETOURS ARE IN STORE ON LONDON BRIDGE NEAR OCEANA

After months of enduring bumpy roads, perilously deep roadside ditches and detour signs galore, motorists traveling along southern London Bridge Road on Monday will find the road open again - but only to local traffic.

The $4.5 million road-widening project along London Bridge involves two major intersections and begins another phase this week that will ultimately ease the commute to Gate 2 of Oceana Naval Air Station.

But before the commute gets easier, it will get a little harder.

Starting Monday, the intersection of London Bridge and Shipps Corner roads will open to traffic. At the same time, the intersection of London Bridge and Dam Neck roads will close to through traffic. Local traffic, such as base workers or people conducting base business, can still enter Gate 2 on London Bridge.

In the meantime, Oceana officials have opened a ``back gate'' to ease congestion, said Troy Snead, public affairs officer at Oceana.

The back gate, sometimes called the ``golf course gate,'' will open from 6 to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday. It is located east of Gate 2 at Dewey Road off Harper's Road.

The temporary gate is expected to remain open during those hours until construction is finished, Snead said.

``Of course it's an inconvenience, but for improvements, we'll live with it,'' said Snead.

Despite the road openings and closings, motorists will find that traffic patterns that have been in place since May will remain largely intact.

The only difference will be access from Shipps Corner to London Bridge. That access will be reserved for residents, businesses, base personnel and delivery drivers.

The new closure, at London Bridge and Dam Neck, also will have the same restrictions, said Jody Harp, a city traffic engineer.

A detour will continue to guide motorists traveling east on Shipps Corner south on London Bridge Road Extended until they reach Dam Neck Road. The opposite is true for people heading in the other direction.

Work to reconstruct and improve London Bridge Road at the entrance to Gate 2 at Oceana, and Dam Neck Road, includes the addition of two left-turn lanes heading east on Dam Neck, allowing left turns onto London Bridge. For southbound traffic on London Bridge, motorists will one day have two left-turn lanes onto Dam Neck, said Frank Hickman, the project's engineer.

When the project is completed in February 1998, motorists will notice a significant change. The left-turn lane on London Bridge that entered Oceana's Gate 2 will be removed. Instead, southbound traffic will have to take London Bridge Road Extended to Dam Neck, head east, and then turn north on London Bridge again, making a box.

Once Hornet Drive, which is Gate 2's road, and Dam Neck are finished, crews will begin widening the remainder of London Bridge, from Dam Neck to Shipps Corner, to four divided lanes.

In 1994, some 15,000 motorists used that portion of London Bridge Road every day. That number is not expected to increase because the majority of the traffic will begin using Dam Neck Road, engineers say.

``It's going to be a big relief (when it's done),'' Snead said. ``Anything that can be done to help relieve traffic is fantastic.'' ILLUSTRATION: Map

VP

SOURCE: Virginia Beach Traffic Engineering

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