Mount Vernon — What in the world are our elected representatives doing talking about another $1M study to figure out what to do about Route 1 traffic between the Beltway and Fort Belvoir? During the past 20 years, Senator Puller has sponsored at least two $1M studies about what to do to improve the traffice on Route 1. So far more than $4 million has been spent on studies. There are immediate, much less costly solutions that this money could be used for.
We do not need another study. If you drive the route once or twice, many easy solutions could be completed for much less than another study.
Here are two things that could be done easily:
Free up the right lane by making sure that there are bus stops at only places where the complete buss with usually less than four people in them can get completely out of the right lane. This will free up the right lane along much of this roadway. I am not impressed with a few number of people taking buses. Get smaller buses and keep them fro blocking the right lane of Route 1 all of the time when they stop.
Put up the 3-foot white poles in the middle of the road at places where people consistently try to turn left from the left lane crossing double yellow lines. This would open up the left lanes in places like the uphill grade where the old Thieves market was. Only permit left turns from left turn lanes. This frees up the left lane for through traffic.
The above easy-to-accomplish items will allow all three lanes to run smoothly versus the current one lane in the middle with everybody trying to squeeze into it when the buses block the curb lane or cars are trying to turn left from the left lane.
We have got to add more lanes in places where the Walmart is at the crossings of King Highway and Route 1 and where Costco and Walmart are now where Sherwood Hall comes to Route 1. It is almost impossible to travel faster than 10 mph in these areas now and is only going to get worse.
I find that I try and avoid ever traveling to businesses on Route 1 because it is so congested unless I am on my bike.
Another easy solution north of Fort Belvoir: Add the additional funded lanes on the side of the road where there is nothing but fields and leave the poor horse farm and church alone. It appears that VDOT is trying to make adding these lanes as hard a job as possible by running the horse farm off and making the people at the church there feel like the road is going through their cemetery.
We finally get Richmond to fund a transportation bill after numerous tries and Delegate Surovell votes against it. Come on Scott, perfection is getting in the way of progress.
There are several other places near where I live where some paint would help greatly:
When driving west on Sherwood Hall just past the fire station, put a right turn lane in so people can turn onto Fordson Road without getting a ticket. Nobody ever parks along the curb in this area anyway.
Give the people who live off of Woodmont Road a short left turn lane. This roadway is already paved but with the yellow “do not enter” lines. These lines do not prevent anybody from turning left from Fort hunt going west. It would also give the people trying to get onto Fort Hunt going west from Woodmont Road a small area to enter that is legal for them. Right now it is illegal to enter this cross-hatched area.
We need Route 1 to be four lanes in both directions the whole way from the Beltway to Fort Belvoir but in the meantime let’s get the easy things done!
Phillip Boughton
Alexandria