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Regional briefs

Date published: 8/30/2005

U.S. 1 lanes will shift tomorrow in Stafford

Traffic on U.S. 1 in Stafford County should be prepared for a lane shift tomorrow near the new State Route 627 interchange.

Northbound cars will shift to the right onto the new permanent lanes after the morning rush, said Tina Bundy, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The center area of U.S. 1 will be used for a median and turn lanes, she said.

Also, the new entrance from U.S. 1 to Crane's Corner Road will open that same morning. The entrance is moving north so that it lines up with the traffic light at Route 627 (Mountain View Road).

The southbound lanes on U.S. 1 will stay put, Bundy said.

--Edie Gross

Courthouse Bypass meeting set tomorrow

Residents can get more information on proposed changes to the Spotsylvania Courthouse Bypass during a meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Marshall Center, 8800 Courthouse Road.

The highway is to begin at the intersection of the existing State Route 208 (Courthouse Road) and Wild Turkey Drive, then stretch south and west, following the paths of Robert E. Lee Drive and Block House Road, before reconnecting with Route 208 at Post Oak just west of the Ta River.

The Virginia Department of Transportation originally intended to provide only limited access to the northernmost piece of the bypass, which is close to the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield. But the owner of a 168-acre parcel at that end of the bypass is pushing VDOT to provide greater access to buoy the property's value.

Preservationists oppose providing more access to the Alrich property, saying it would endanger the nearby battlefield.

But not providing that access could mean VDOT will have to pay damages to the landowner, further delaying construction of the costly bypass.

Tomorrow's meeting will provide information about the access issue. No formal presentations will be made, but maps and literature will be available, and residents can ask questions of VDOT and submit comments.

For details, visit virginiadot.org, click on "Fredericksburg" and then click on "Construction."

--Edie Gross

Quantico exercises may bring increase in noise

Residents living along State Route 610 and elsewhere in North Stafford may hear increased noise from training exercises at Quantico Marine Corps Base today through Sunday.

Explosions may be heard on the following schedule: today from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, call the base's Public Affairs Office at 703/784-2741.

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Date published: 8/30/2005