|
|
By KELLY HANNON
Stafford County supervisors have thrown their support behind a plan to improve the congested Falmouth intersection.
The Board of Supervisors endorsed a design yesterday that was supported by a previous board in 2002--a single-point urban interchange.
Butler Road and Warrenton Road (U.S. 17) traffic would flow freely across an overpass. Underneath, U.S. 1 would be controlled by a traffic signal.
Vehicles turning right on U.S. 1 would yield; left turns would be controlled by the signal.
Yesterday's board action could convince the state to come forward with construction funds for the $28.5 million interchange project.
Cord Sterling, a Stafford resident who serves on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, said he is prepared to ask the state for the money.
The resolution "gives us some assurance that as long as this board sits they will not be changing the design they want," Sterling said.
Earlier this year, Sterling helped secure $10 million for the project's design, engineering and right of way access. That money is budgeted through July 2013. Afterwards, the project needs construction money to advance.
A few other designs were in the running, and Sterling wanted clarity on the county officials' pick.
In 2002, a different board endorsed the single-point interchange, but later asked the Virginia Department of Transportation not to pursue it, said David Ogle, administrator of the Fredericksburg VDOT district.
Among the designs not chosen were cloverleaf interchanges, and another design that would have widened lanes throughout the existing intersection.
A roundabout was also considered in recent months.
But the discussion kept returning to the unique dynamics of the Falmouth intersection, which handles about 6,000 cars at the peak hour, from 4 to 5 p.m.
All that volume means motorists can sit through two, three, even four cycles of the traffic signal before advancing.
It has become a safety hazard, too. Rescue vehicles must enter opposing traffic lanes to pass during rush hour, and the intersection can be overwhelmed whenever there is a crash or gridlock on Interstate 95.
At the same time, the area has historic resources in close proximity to the intersection.
The cloverleaf options would move traffic through the intersection most efficiently, said Harry Lee, VDOT assistant district administrator.
Projects get a letter grade for how well they move traffic. The current Falmouth intersection gets an "F" on an A to F scale. The single-point interchange would upgrade service at the intersection to a "D." The cloverleaf designs would get a "B" or "C."
The cloverleaf designs "would always work well and allow traffic to flow smoothly," Lee said.
But they would cost millions more than the single-point interchange, and would gobble up more land. One of the cloverleaf designs would have required building a tunnel under the Falmouth Baptist Church parking lot.
A roundabout was not recommended, either. VDOT had a state committee on roundabouts look at the intersection, along with a national roundabout expert.
They concluded it would be difficult for trucks to navigate the proposed two-lane roundabout.
Also, with a high percentage of motorists making left turns at the intersection, "it was the unanimous opinion that a roundabout at this location would just not work," Lee said.
Moving forward, VDOT will do a detailed design of the single-point interchange. It will hold a public information meeting.
Impacts on historic and environmental resources will be considered during the engineering process, and a public hearing will be required.
Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436