 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
      
|
 |
Corridor Comments (2007)December 2007 (click here for the full publication)In This Issue:Online Maps Put Truckers in a Jam Increased Enforcement Helps Decrease Speed Crash Figures Reveal High Cost in Lives and Property Minor Construction Project Relieves Major 501 Bottleneck Online Maps Put Truckers in a JamMany motorists begin every car trip with a visit to one of the Internet map sites, such as MapQuest or Google Maps. As helpful as these resources are, they can't always be relief upon to provide the truly optimal route - a fact taht can be especially troublesome when you're driving a tractor-trailer the length of four passenger cars. Like the rest of us, truckers have also come to rely upon these online references when planning routes, but when the destination is the Georgia-Pacific plant in Big Island, the trip sometimes takes a nasty turn. About 80% of the trucks traveling along 501 exceed the length allowed on certain segments of 501. Because of these restrictions, truckers unfamiliar with the area often use online map tools to seek alternate routes - routes that amy be compoletely unsuited for the big rigs. For example, unwary truckers may find themselves traveling such harrowing routes as Coffee Road. This serpentine path winds through pastures and woodlands in Bedford County with grades and hairpin turns that can bring longer trucks to a grinding halt. The 501 length restriction not only affects trucking companies, but also the industries they serve. Georgia-Pacific in particular continues to have problems because of the truck length restriction on 501N between Lynchburg and Big Island, as well as the restricted 130N section to Glasgow at the intersection of 501. Because 60N is also length restricted, trucks trying to reach I-81 have to detour all the way to Charlottesville. As a result, Georgia-Pacific incurs significant additional expense because of the extra mileage. (About 27% of truckers traveling to the G-P mill are driving there for the first time, and a similar percentage use online map tools.) This multi-faceted problem crosses several VDOT districts - and as we reported in 2004, the Six-Year Transportation Program does not include any funding for major improvements. G-P officials met with VDOT in June, requesting that VDOT conduct a study to determine the best solution, realizing that any recommendation will not be implemented quickly. Commonwealth Transportation Board Members Kenneth White and Dana Martin, as well as residency administrators from Lynchburg, Amherst, Bedford and Salem represented VDOT. All parties concerned are searching for long-term solutions. Part fo the study will include random surveys of the truck drivers with questions about their points of origin, destinations, familiarity with the Georgia-Pacific site, etc. The 501 Coalition is advocating several projects (see below) that will help provide all vehicles with a safe passage through the more mountainous regions of 501. Route 501 Coalition Top 10 PrioritiesFor the complete list, please visit www.Route501.org/case.php 1. Construct Rt. 501/ 29/ 460 Lynchburg/ Campbell Bypass (Southern leg) 2. Reconstruct roadway to provide standard shoulders and guardrails between Rt. 612 and .5 mi north of Rt. 672 (Bedford) 3. Construct eastward bypass from US Rt. 360 to Rt. 501 (Halifax) 4. Construct improvements at Rt. 501 & Rt. 221 (Lynchburg) 5. Construct southern bypass from Rt. 501 to Rt. 58 (Halifax) 6. Reconstruct roadway section from Rt. 672 to Rt. 652 to provide standard shoulders and guardrails (Bedford) 7. Four-lane Rt. 501 from just south of Rt. 615 to Campbell County (Halifax) 8. Four-lane Rt. 501 from Brookneal to Winfall (Campbell) 9. Reconstruct roadway section from Rt. 652 to Rt. 761 (Bedford) 10. Intersection of Rt. 501 and Rt. 628: construct right and left turn lanes (Halifax)
Increased Enforcement Helps Decrease SpeedThe Appomattox Division's Area 23 had a problem. From July 1, 2005 through December 31, 2005, Route 501 had the highest crash rate in Halifax County. During that six-month period, troopers worked 12 crashes on the same stretch of highway between Halifax and Brookneal. In addition, citizen complaints were constantly coming into the office for such traffic concerns as speeding, reckless driving, and illegal passing. So the Area turned to the department's Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) Project for a solution to reduce the number of crashes, address citizens' complaints, and ultimately save lives. To fully explore the problem, the Area surveyed CAPS (Centralized Accident Processing System) and non-reportable crash data, and took a closer look at the motorists' complaints about 501. Directed patrols determined that 71 mph was the average speed for motorists in the posted 55 mph zone. Once the problem was thoroughly analyzed, the Area moved on to developing a five-step response: expanded state police presence along 501 during key hours; joint-agency "Wolf Pack" operations; continued meetings with stakeholders, including the Highway Traffic Safety Commission; public outreach, education and media coverage on driver safety. Area 23 supervisor, F/Sgt. Jeffrey N. Lane, is pleased with his Area's hard work and implementation of the POP project. "The Rt. 501 project has been very successful," Lane said. "Citizens' complaints have been reduced by 90%, and replaced by commendations for our enforcement efforts. During the last quarter of 2006, troopers conducted 22 directed patrols projects resulting in 122 summonses being issued for various violations on this route. The average speed has now decreased to 68 mph."
Crash Figures Reveal High Cost in Lives and PropertyA comparison of 2006 crash figures against those from 2005 shows that the more treacherous lengths of Route 501 continue to collect a very high toll in Central and Southside Virginia. While the total cost of property damage inflicted by crashes on 501 dropped slightly, the cost in human terms increased nearly across the board. The tables below dramatize what a dangerous road 501 can be in its present state, and provide a very somber measure of the importance of improvements to the route. Our goal is that these numbers will decrease for 2007 - and keep going down.
Minor Construction Project Relieves Major 501 BottleneckAnyone who's ever been stuck behind a school bus on a two-lane road knows how the buses can sometimes back up traffic. But when most of the school buses in the entire county are on the same two-lane road - and having to stop to make the same left turn - you have more than an inconvenience; you have a potential logjam. That was the case with the intersection of Route 917 (Railview Road) and 501 in Naruna. Route 917 is the primary route buses use to reach William Campbell High School and Middle School, and as the fleet of buses traveled northward from the elementary school in Brookneal, most would end up at that intersection, stalling traffic as they waited for an opening to make a left turn onto 917. Add to that all the parent and student traffic using the same intersection, and the result was an intersection that was a serious impediment to the safe flow of traffic on 501. Fortunately, Congressman Virgil Goode worked to have Federal funds appropriated for 501, and that $100,000 appropriation served as the "seed money" for a project to improve the 917 intersection. The state in turn designated an additional $240,000 of Surface Transportation Funds needed to complete the work, and at last, a solution was at hand. After a two-month project by D.A. Brown Construction Company, northbound motorists (and school bus drivers) finally had a left turn lane onto Rotue 917 from 501.
|
|
Newsletter Archive (PDFs)
Other Publications of Interest: |
