August 03, 2009 2:11 PM
by Robert Powell
The orange signs seemed to pop up every 50 miles or so — “Road Work Ahead,“ “Reduce Speed,“ “Lane Closed.“
In a recent 1,900-mile trip across five Southern states, I found almost all of them working on their roads. Exception was Virginia, which has cut $2 billion from its construction budget for the next six years.
To be fair, I traveled on relatively short stretches of interstate highway in Virginia (maybe 160 miles total) during this journey. Nonetheless, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida look like beehives of road activity by comparison.
I couldn’t help but wonder: Were did they get the money? Is this stimulus money at work? Or have these states found a source for road revenue that has so-long eluded Virginia?
But another thought quickly came to mind. When Virginia finally finds the political will or the money to work on its roads, will the state become one massive construction site? I remember the warning of a friend, a former state transportation department employee, about the consequences of repeated delays. He told me about a Northeastern state that continually cut its transportation budget until necessity finally forced it to act. The result was a series of construction projects from one end of the state to the other. For motorists, the state became nearly impassable, a dysfunction junction.
So maybe this is the Old Dominion’s future. The signs on the state line will read “Welcome to Virginia” quickly followed by “Road Work Ahead, Next 178 Miles.”
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To say the least, there are certainly needs in the state. However, it seems that some of our projects are terribly expensive. The mixing bowl and Woodrow Wilson bridge improvements near DC were staggering. A seemingly simple interchange at I-64 and I-295 took years to complete. The thoughts of improving I-81 from Wytheville to northern VA boggles the mind.
As you travel around the state, “most” of the time, things are OK, but northern VA and Hampton Roads need a lot of work.
I think some of the other states may simply be catching up.
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Eric Alfredson of Richmond, VA
Aug. 3, 2009 at 06:10 PM
That stretch 0f I 64 by Williamsburg between Newport News and Richmond is deadly. I’ve seen so many very bad accidents and delays to the point I won’t go back that way on the Westbound side.
That’s really bad since that area is prime tourist area for the state. Doesn’t the state care and why has there always been this ridiculous problem about roads in VA. Everything else is great but roads are crucial and get rid of those pp taxes on cars.
Va is great for many things but not worth it to die for, too many traffic car/truck crash fatalities.
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Sam WR of Arlington
Aug. 5, 2009 at 11:40 AM
I agree with you about the roads in Virginia. They could certainly use a serious upgrade. It’s a bit nerve raking to see it put off, because it can become more of a headache in the future when they sit down and MUST take care of the roads and do them all at once.
And Sam you couldn’t be more right it has to be a turn off for tourist for one of the prime tourists spots. After all it won’t be much of a vacation if your stuck with the headache of traffic jams or bumpy roads
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Greensboro Worker of Greensboro, NC
Aug. 11, 2009 at 10:44 AM
