A recent community meeting about safety concerns on Tidewater Trail in Spotsylvania County led to the Virginia Department of Transportation expediting the process to make the road safer.
After a gathering that Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors representative Lori Hayes called “emotional,” Kyle Bates, VDOT’s Fredericksburg resident engineer, sent a letter to county officials stating that concerns raised by meeting attendees were insightful and helpful as the agency seeks potential solutions.
Bates said that VDOT will explore a traffic light at the intersection of Tidewater Trail (State routes 2 and 17) and Glendas Way. It will also review roadway lighting, the height of rapid flashing pedestrian beacons, advanced warning flashers, pedestrian button relocations, the color of lights and will conduct a study to determine if the speed limit needs to be lowered.
Hayes, who represents the Lee Hill District, hosted the meeting in response to more than 300 crashes in the Spotsylvania portion of the road since 2019 and six fatalities in the past two years — including four pedestrian deaths. Two fatal accidents in the area in May exacerbated an issue that was already gnawing at Hayes in her district.
“This wasn’t just a knee-jerk reaction to a tragedy,” Hayes said. “It’s sort of been on the radar since I got on the board [in 2022]. “This was really an opportunity for citizens to understand what’s been done so far and what’s the process to get to the next level.”
Hayes said that county officials, VDOT and the sheriff’s office have come together in an attempt to fix the issues.
Bates noted that there is a SMART SCALE project funded at the location to widen Tidewater Trail, with preliminary engineering potentially starting next July. However, construction could start as late as 2030.
Bates recommended the traffic signal be separate from that project, so safety measures can start sooner.
“We are still looking at one to two years for design and installation of a traffic signal at Glendas Way,” Bates said. “Even that, with the unknowns, is an aggressive schedule. While this timeline is not as rapid as many residents prefer, this would install the signal sooner than adding it to the existing widening project.
“With the crash data and pedestrian concerns at the intersection, we have plans to look into some additional safety measures in the interim.”
Those measures include VDOT staff reviewing and testing lumen levels at the crosswalk at night. Also, the height and angle of the rapid flashing beacons at the existing pedestrian crossing will be made more visible to motorists.
A contractor will install advanced warning flashers, and there will be a new pedestrian button for the nearby townhouse community. VDOT staff will review guidelines on beacon colors to determine if the Federal Highway Administration will allow beacons to be anything other than yellow warning/yield lights. All of that is expected to be complete by the end of October.
The speed study should be finalized this fall as well.
“Unfortunately, some of this comes down to personal responsibility and oftentimes that is difficult for people to hear,” Hayes said. “But the bottom line is we have got to slow down on our road system and be aware of our surroundings.”
Bates said some hard decisions must be made based on budget, installation time, maintenance and effectiveness.
He said the traffic light suggestion is because some of the recent commercial developments, such as a Starbucks and carwash in a shopping center anchored by the Weis grocery store, added more traffic on Glendas Way.
“It’s a weird type of intersection because you’ve got so many movements going on there,” Hayes said. “You’ve got north and south turns, left and right turns by both of those neighborhoods and you throw in the pedestrian element, and it’s just a recipe for disaster.”
Bates said staff revisited the traffic signal analysis to determine if a signal is warranted. He said it is “imperative” a signal is absolutely necessary or other issues will arise.
“If a signal is to be installed without appropriate justification, it would cause additional congestion on a primary route and would lead to other safety-related concerns,” Bates said.
A county consultant started work on a Signal Justification Report, and when it is complete VDOT will have a consultant begin work on the design. Survey data is being collected to expedite the process, which includes purchasing right-of-ways and easements and potential utility relocation.
“Every signal installation is unique, and it’s important to understand what types of challenges a signal will encounter upon construction,” Bates said.
