New signal may be erected at Massaponax High School's main entrance.

Date published: 3/28/2006

By GEORGE WHITEHURST

Spotsylvania County's traffic engineer is recommending installation of a stoplight at the main entrance of Massaponax High School.

Dan Cole told the Board of Supervisors that high-speed motorists on Jefferson Davis Highway, combined with the presence of school buses and teenage drivers, can make for a dangerous mix.

Something needs to be done to slow the traffic around the school and give students a chance to get safely in and out of the school parking lot, he said.

"Speed was a big factor in why that intersection should be signalized," Cole said.

The intersection currently is served by a flashing signal light that warns approaching motorists to slow down.

Unfortunately, a lot of them aren't paying attention.

Cole said a February traffic study showed that the vast majority of drivers on the highway ignore the school zone's 35-mph speed limit and whiz through at about 53 mph.

"I guess it says there's maybe a need for enforcement in school zones, especially that one," Cole said.

Other major problems, Cole added, are the school buses and teen drivers at the high school.

"I think the danger for the school buses is the amount of time it takes to merge into traffic. They just don't accelerate like a passenger car," he said. "From the student-driver perspective, they just are not as capable of judging a gap in traffic. That just comes with experience. I think they have a little more trouble judging the speed of oncoming cars."

Cole said he hasn't studied any accident data for the intersection.

"The concern there is that there's a potential for [accidents], especially in the morning when all those buses are there and students trying to make that left-hand turn," he said. "The potential for a disaster is there."

The Spotsylvania School Board agrees, and in January asked the county to ask the Virginia Department of Transportation to install a stoplight.

Cole estimates that the cost of the signal will run between $60,000 and $70,000.

A major time savings is the fact that the mast arms for the signal already are in place.

"A lot of times the timeframe on a signal comes from getting the mast arms, because they're individually manufactured," he said. "They don't have those just lying around. The hard part's already done."

To reach GEORGE WHITEHURST:540/374-5438
Email: gwhitehurst@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 3/28/2006