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How much of Ball's Bluff Road does state own?

February 16, 2009 12:35 am

REPAIR or replace?

Inevitably, most drivers face this question with an aging vehicle.

Making the decision could be easier if you follow the 50 percent rule.

AAA Mid-Atlantic advisers owners to think before paying for a repair that approaches 50 percent of your car's worth. So, if your sedan is worth $4,000, shelling out more than $2,000 to fix it could be a bad choice.

Then again, in this economy, maybe not.

Maybe it's not the best time to take on a car payment. Financing a $2,000 repair could be easier than new-car financing, AAA points out. Also, if you still owe money on a car that needs a large repair, that could be another sign that paying the garage is a smarter decision.

Dear Kelly: Ball's Bluff Road is off Spotsylvania Parkway and leads into the Virginia Heritage subdivision. It is my understanding that Ball's Bluff Road is only partially owned and maintained by VDOT, while the rest of it is a private road owned and maintained by the homeowners association of Virginia Heritage.

To make this more complicated, there is a commercial building planned on the corner of Spotsylvania Parkway and Ball's Bluff Road, and there is a public entrance/exit to this building located on Ball's Bluff Road.

Can the county/state please put up an "End State Maintenance" sign so that people will know where the state's/county's jurisdiction ends on Ball's Bluff Road?

--Pat Trotter, Spotsylvania

Roughly 30 feet of Ball's Bluff Road is state property, and the rest is owned by the homeowners association, said Tina Bundy, Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

VDOT's Fredericksburg Residency and Spotsylvania County are coordinating plans to install a sign indicating where state maintenance starts and stops.

Dear Kelly: I live in Brittany Commons off Courthouse Road in Spotsylvania County. Several months ago concrete piers were installed for a traffic light and Dominion power has installed an electric meter. Can you find out when VDOT is planning to finish the project? The intersection is very busy and there have been a few accidents there.

--Doug Shamblin, Spotsylvania

The traffic signal is not a VDOT project, but a developer's project, said VDOT spokeswoman Bundy. VDOT has been inspecting the developer's work on a regular basis. Often, new traffic signals in the Fredericksburg area are installed at a developer's expense in connection with a new housing subdivision or shopping center. During a recent inspection of the signal, VDOT had concerns about the concrete foundation. VDOT plans to visit the site this week to ensure changes were made. If everything is approved, work can start again, Bundy said. No completion date was available.

Kelly Hannon is The Free Lance-Star's transportation reporter. If you have questions, send them to Getting There, c/o The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401; or you may fill out the Getting There form on the Web at: fredericksburg.com.





Copyright 2009 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.