Triple fatality wreck in New Kent spurs action by county’s Transportation Safety Commission

A day after Tuesday’s car/tractor-trailer collision on a New Kent highway claimed the lives of three men, the county’s Transportation Safety Commission convened for its regular quarterly meeting. Members had plenty to talk about.

Topping the agenda — the intersection at Route 155 and Kentland Trail where the fatal accident occurred. And also high on the list — the intersection where routes 249, 33, and 30 converge a few miles west of Eltham. Of concern there is the fact that VDOT has removed or discontinued road safety features that had been built in over time.

District 4 Board of Supervisors member Ron Stiers, the board’s representative on the commission, presented the group’s findings and requests during Thursday’s board meeting. Those issues, detailed in a letter from commission chairman Lee Bailey, are now in the hands of VDOT officials.

Led by Stiers, supervisors grilled VDOT interim residency administrator Marshall Winn over conditions at both intersections.

“Something has got to be done,” Stiers adamantly told the VDOT official.

“I’m going to certainly take your concerns to the traffic engineering folks,” Winn replied.

There is no better authority on both intersections than New Kent Sheriff F.W. “Wakie” Howard Jr., who also sits on the commission.

“I wrote my first letter in 2004 regarding the Kentland Trail/155 intersection about my concerns on the traffic pattern there and the potential for accidents. And I’ve written a letter every year since asking for a traffic light or speed reduction,” he said in a Friday interview.

“There’s been at least 65 accidents, not all of them major, at that intersection, and something needs to be done,” he said.

He said he worked for several years with former District 2 Supervisor Marty Sparks, lobbying VDOT to install traffic signals and/or lower the speed limit.

“They did lower the speed limit from 55 miles per hour to 50,” Howard said. “At least lowering the speed limit gives [a motorist] more reaction time, but five miles per hour isn’t going to do it.”

The problem, Howard says, is the layout of the intersection, which is perched on high ground. Approaches on Route 155 are uphill in both directions. Multiple turn lanes coupled with two thru-traffic lanes create a wide expanse of pavement that motorists making a turn must negotiate. The design also requires drivers making a turn to scan for oncoming traffic in three different directions.

“VDOT says the sight distance is sufficient, but with that hill there, by the time you look left and right the first time, you’re going to have to start all over again,” the sheriff said.

Howard said county residents probably are accustomed to the intersection, but he adds that most drivers passing through are transients lacking knowledge of the layout.

Commission members, meanwhile, are asking VDOT to conduct a traffic/speed study. Howard said a traffic signal could be the solution. He also did not discount converting the intersection into a roundabout.

“If nothing else, reduce the speed limit. That wouldn’t cost any money,” he said.

“I’m not going to give up, and I’m going to keep on fighting,” he added. “That intersection has become the number one accident site in all of New Kent.”

But years before, the unenviable status of ranking number one belonged to the Route 249/33/30 intersection. When I-64 was built through the county, the intersection was created, providing access to the interstate and converting Route 33 into a four-lane highway. Flashing lights governed traffic flow — yellow for motorists on 33 and red for those approaching from 249 and 30. But soon, the intersection became a killing ground.

Numerous fatal wrecks took place before county leaders convinced VDOT to replace the flashing lights with a traffic signal. The solution wasn’t perfect, but the number of fatal accidents dropped.

County leaders then successfully pressed for installing flashing yellow warning lights on approaches to the intersection. Strobes were then placed inside red lights facing Route 33 to alert motorists of the impending stop. Next came rumble strips built into the pavement.

But today, only the traffic signal remains. Rumble strips are disappearing due to paving work and are not being replaced, and the strobes have been removed thanks to new federal regulations. Latest to go are the yellow flashing lights on approaches. Those have been turned off just recently.

“I thought those were all great ideas, but I guess common sense doesn’t prevail anymore,” Howard said.

“When we asked why those things were taken down, the answer was because a study indicated they were no longer needed because the number of accidents was down. Well wouldn’t you think it was because of the things done to improve safety? It’s all very, very frustrating.”

Howard said the county was never notified that the yellow warning lights were being turned off.

“We were really offended that we didn’t know they were going to do that,” he said. “They didn’t bother to call us or the fire department.”

The commission, meanwhile, is requesting that VDOT reactivate the yellow warning lights. The group also is pushing for return of the rumble strips.

But those two intersections are not alone among the commission’s concerns. The group is asking VDOT to paint turn arrows to assist motorists where the I-64 eastbound off-ramp connects with Route 155.

Another request is to install markers every two-tenths of a mile on I-64 through the county. For now, small signs designating each mile exist, but commission members say markers every two-tenths of a mile would assist emergency services. Motorists in need of assistance are often out of visual range of a mile marker and thus have difficulty in conveying their location.

Also, the commission is asking VDOT to study three locations involving right turn lanes — Route 249 at Egypt Road, Route 249 just west of Dispatch Road, and Route 60 in front of the Bojangles restaurant.

Two concerns penned by the commission appear bound for the county’s planning and zoning departments.

The first involves street width in new subdivisions and developments. County fire chief Rick Opett is asking the county to follow fire safety code standards for street width rather than VDOT code, which allows for narrower roadways. At issue is fire equipment as well as school buses having difficulty negotiating some streets.

Second, the commission is asking county staff to contact Farms of New Kent and request that streetlights at the roundabouts on Route 106 be made fully functional. VDOT has advised the commission that the property owner (Farms of New Kent) is responsible for maintaining the lights.