Traffic – Page 10 – Watchful Eye

Delays coming on Downing Bridge to and from Tappahannock

8Jan

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

News, Traffic

Delays coming on Downing Bridge to and from Tappahannock

Drivers on Rt. 360 crossing the Downing Bridge between Tappahannock and Richmond County should brace for about 6 weeks of delays. VDOT announced a maintenance project will begin tomorrow, January 9, that will include repairing the bridge’s aluminum railing and concrete deck. That work will reduce the two-lane bridge to a single lane with traffic alternating between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Automated flagging devices will direct the traffic through the work zone. VDOT said there will not be lane closures on weekends. Weather permitting, the work is expected to be complete by March 2024. Follow the Watchful Eye on Twitter and Facebook Help keep news you can use coming by clicking to directly support the Watchful Eye, an independent...

Highway and marine closures ahead for James River Bridge

6Jan

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Traffic

Highway and marine closures ahead for James River Bridge

Preliminary lane closures and traffic stoppages on the Route 17 James River Bridge were scheduled to start today, January 6, to prepare for a 4-day full closure of the bridge. January full shutdown VDOT announced that a critical maintenance project is needed that will replace 40 of the 80 counterweight wire ropes that lift the bridge for marine traffic. That work will require full closure of the bridge from Friday, January 12, at 1 a.m. through Tuesday, January 16, at 5 a.m. Ahead of the shutdown, there will be a single-lane in both directions that's slated to start as early as 7 p.m. on January 11. January preliminary work To prepare for the full shutdown, VDOT said the contractor needs to implement single-lane closures and brief, intermittent traffic stoppages. That ...

In 2024, tolls increased for Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel + Downtown and Midtown

3Jan

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Traffic

In 2024, tolls increased for Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel + Downtown and Midtown

As of January 1, 2024 the toll for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel increased. As always, the rates depend on the type of vehicle you’re driving, when you cross, and how soon, if at all, you make your return trip. For regular, passenger vehicles and motorcycles, the off peak price is $16 and peak price is $21. A return trip within 24 hours is $6 off peak and $1 during peak. Peak pricing applies Friday through Sunday from May 15 to September 15. For other vehicle types, here are the CBBT toll costs. The last increase was 2019, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission approved rates hikes of approximately 10% every five years to support construction of the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project. If it's any consolation, according to CBBT, the toll rates at 7...

2 Young Adults Killed in 2 Rockingham County Vehicle Crashes

28Dec

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Traffic

2 Young Adults Killed in 2 Rockingham County Vehicle Crashes

Two young adults lost their lives in fatal crashes in Rockingham County this week. Christmas Day crash Virginia State Police announced it has launched an investigation into a fatal two-vehicle crash in on Christmas day that occurred on N Valley Pike. The incident occurred shortly after noon. A 2015 Subaru Legacy driven by 22-year-old Garcia F. Hernandez was headed north on N. Valley Pike near Smithland Rd. According to VSP, the vehicle crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a GMC Envoy that was headed south. The impact of that collision caused both vehicles to run off the road, police say. Hernandez, a Rockingham resident, was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the Legacy during the crash. Despite the injuries, he made it to Sentara RMH Medical Center, but he ...

27Dec

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Traffic

Mathews deputy gets hit & entrapped

A 57-year-old Gloucester woman has been charged for crashing into a Mathews County deputy on Saturday, December 23. It was around 8 a.m., and Deputy Brian Longest was in his patrol car running stationary radar off of the side of Twiggs Ferry Road in the Dutton area when his vehicle was hit by a Mazda CX5, the Sheriff’s Office’s announced later that day. The SUV crashed into the back of the patrol car, and caused the deputy to be entrapped inside, the Sheriff’s Office added. Virginia State Police handled the investigation. Kim Cenova, the Mazda driver, was heading north on Twiggs Ferry Rd. and attempted to pass a slower vehicle, VSP found. When she sped up to finish passing and crossed the double solid line to return to the northbound lane, she lost control, ran off the road, an...

1 killed, 1 med-evaced in York County crash

21Dec

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Traffic

1 killed, 1 med-evaced in York County crash

A 76-year-old Williamsburg woman was killed and her husband hospitalized after a two-vehicle crash in York County. Christine Trena Meeske was driving east on E. Rochambeau, according to Virginia State Police. At a point west of Rt. 143, she was traveling “at a high rate of speed” and hit a 2020 Toyota Camry that was also traveling east. VSP said the preliminary investigation revealed that when the two vehicles collided, Meeske lost control, ran off the road into a ditch, and hit a culvert. That collision caused the SUV she was driving to flip over onto the roof, entrapping the occupants. Meeske died upon impact, VSP said. Her husband, Richard Meeske, once extracted from the vehicle was flown to VCU in Richmond. The driver of the Toyota driver was injured, but VSP described the...

7 Vehicle Crash Closes MMBT Southboun in Newport News

20Dec

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Traffic

7 Vehicle Crash Closes MMBT Southboun in Newport News

It was a 7-vehicle crashed that closed the southbound side of the Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel in Newport News on Monday, Virginia State Police revealed. The accident occurred at about 6:40 a.m. And based on VSP’s preliminary investigations, it appears a Ford Focus hit the back of Chevy Malibu, which, in turn, sideswiped a tractor-trailer. The tractor-trailer then rear-ended a Hyundai Sonata, causing it to hit a Ford Escape, which was pushed into a Buick. One person was transported for treatment with non life-threatening injuries, and the unnamed driver of the Focus and tractor-trailer have been charged with following too closely, VSP reported. This incident blocked all lanes of traffic during the morning commute creating causing drivers to be re-routed onto Terminal Avenue. The...

No DUIs found in Madison County DUI checkpoint

15Dec

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Traffic

No DUIs found in Madison County DUI checkpoint

Virginia State Police describe the December 13 DUI checkpoint in Madison County as a success. According to VSP, the joint effort was conducted in collaboration with Madison County Sheriff’s Office at the intersection of Rt. 15 and Rt. 230 from 6 – 10 p.m. The aim, says VSP, was “to enhance public safety and deter impaired driving during the holiday season.” During the operation, police screened motorists for impairment. No DUI arrests were made, but as a result of the “successful DUI checkpoint,” 26 summonses were issued. Of them, 13 were for not having a valid driver's license, 10 for expired inspections, 2 for expired registrations, and 1 was for a seatbelt violation. "We are committed to keeping our roadways safe for all travelers," said First Sergeant Brooks M. Taylor, Area Co...

Newport News woman, 63, killed in Isle of Wight crash

13Dec

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Traffic

Newport News woman, 63, killed in Isle of Wight crash

A 63-year-old Newport News woman was killed in a crash in Isle of Wight yesterday. It was approximately 6:30 a.m. that the call came in about the crash at the intersection of Rt. 620 (Foursquare Road) and Rt. 258 (Scotts Ferry Road), VSP reported. Based on the preliminary investigations, VSP found that Yvonne Howell Higgs of Riverlands Drive was headed east on Foursquare Rd. and failed to stop at the stop sign. When Higgs drove out into the intersection a 2015 International Bay Disposal dump truck that was traveling southbound on Scotts Ferry Rd. crashed into the driver’s side door the 2006 Lincoln MKZ she was driving, VSP reported. Both vehicles ended up off the roadway at the edge of the woods. Higgs died at the scene from her injuries, and the truck driver, Antonio Brown of ...

$21.8 million Ladysmith Rd. project adds more lanes & new path

13Dec

By watchfuleyeNo Comments

Traffic

$21.8 million Ladysmith Rd. project adds more lanes & new path

Ladysmith Rd.’s new lanes and features, including a shared use path, sidewalk, and crosswalks have opened 5 months ahead of schedule. Rt. 639, aka Ladysmith Rd., in Caroline County carries about 12,000 vehicles a day between I-95 and Rt. 1. The $21.8 million widening project was designed to reduce congestion by increasing capacity. The project widened the roadway to four lanes. A raised median was added to separate east and westbound travelers, which is intended to improvement movement. Space was created for dual left turn lanes for eastbound and westbound traffic at the Rt. 1 intersection, reducing delays for motorists waiting to turn at this traffic signal. Dedicated right turn lanes were built for eastbound and westbound traffic on Ladysmith Rd. approaching Rt 1. For ped...