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New road surface may reduce water pooling and vehicle noise

Is there a design flaw at Tidewater Trail and Benchmark Road

Date published: 11/17/2008

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By Kelly Hannon

THE PAVEMENT is being muffled in Virginia.

A 1.7-mile section of State Route 234 in Prince William County has been paved with Porous Friction Course. This new material is supposed to let air and water seep into the road and away from tires. The Virginia Department of Transportation hopes the new pavement will limit hydroplaning, tire noise, and water splash and spray. When it rains at night, headlights won't illuminate the pavement, causing a glare, because the dampness will be drained away.

The new pavement was laid down between Balls Ford Road and Sudley Manor Drive in August. The Virginia Transportation Research Council is testing the surface over the next six months.

If it tests well, the new pavement could be applied to other roads in Virginia, including Interstate 66 inside the Capitol Beltway.

Dear Kelly: The intersection of Benchmark Road and Tidewater Trail in Spotsylvania is the worst intersection I've ever driven through.

Every evening, as I approach the intersection on Benchmark, to make a right turn onto Tidewater Trail, I have to come to a complete stop in the middle of the turn to avoid being hit about three out of five days. Cars turning left out of the shopping center onto Tidewater Trail cannot see cars turning right from Benchmark, especially if there are vehicles on Benchmark waiting in the left turn lane, or straight-ahead traffic lane. This is not a question of vehicles not yielding to traffic. The intersection is poorly designed and drivers exiting the shopping center simply cannot see. Does VDOT have any plans to fix this intersection? Someone's going to get badly hit one day.

--John Verne, Northumberland

The Virginia Department of Transportation visited this intersection to look for the design flaws you describe, and to observe driver behavior. Staff concluded the sight distances are OK--alert drivers obeying the law should be able to see oncoming cars in both directions.

VDOT reviewed the intersection's crash history, and did not find a pattern of crashes, said VDOT spokeswoman Tina Bundy.

Still, since this is the second or third time I've seen a question about this intersection in Getting There, something is going on. VDOT acknowledges there is driver concern about this intersection, Bundy said, and it is considering adding a dedicated left turn arrow for drivers leaving the shopping center.

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Date published: 11/17/2008