Traffic – Page 7 – Watchful Eye

Delays, lane closure on Downing Bridge Sunday night

6Jul

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News, Traffic

Delays, lane closure on Downing Bridge Sunday night

Drivers crossing between Tappahannock and Richmond County should expect delays from Sunday evening into early Monday morning due to the Downing Bridge being reduced to one lane, VDOT announced. Crews will be paving Rt. 360 north of the bridge on the Richmond County side. Traffic on the Downing Bridge will be reduced to a single from 8 p.m. on the July 7 until 5 a.m. on July 8. There will be a flagging crew and a pilot car to lead the alternating lanes of traffic across the bridge and through the work zone, said VDOT. If the work is canceled due to weather, it will be rescheduled to start at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 8, and run through 5 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9. FOLLOW the Watchful Eye on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with what's happening in Virginia!

VDOT backtracks on decision to cut Jamestown-Scotland ferry service

5Jul

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News, Traffic

VDOT backtracks on decision to cut Jamestown-Scotland ferry service

VDOT backtracked on its plan to cut service for the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry starting July 8. As previously reported, VDOT planned to reduce service for the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry, which runs 24/7 every day of the year, citing staffing problems. Today, VDOT said the reduced schedule would no longer be implemented. “As staffing and vessel resources allow, the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry will remain operating under the summer schedule that went into effect May 27 to accommodate the increase in ferry passengers during the summer travel season,” the department stated. With the summer schedule, a boat crosses the James River about every 20 – 30 minutes, depending on the time of day. Meanwhile, VDOT said it’s actively recruiting to fill vacancies on the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry tea...

Year of lane closures, detours in Mathews near Fort Nonsense

2Jul

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News, Traffic

Year of lane closures, detours in Mathews near Fort Nonsense

Those who use Rt. 3 / Rt. 14 to travel between Mathews and Gloucester be advised. On Monday, VDOT will begin a major bridge rahab project that will change the traffic pattern in the Fort Nonsense area for over a year. On July 8, VDOT is slated to start its $5.5 million project improving the westbound bridge over Burke Mill Stream in Mathews. By late August, the westbound lanes of Rt. 3 / Rt. 14 will be closed at Windsor Road. When the westbound lanes close, westbound traffic will be shifted to an eastbound lane on Rt. 3 / Rt. 14, which means eastbound traffic will also be reduced to a single lane. This work zone traffic pattern is expected to be in place from the August 2024 to fall 2025 “to accelerate work,” said VDOT. Westbound view at the intersection of Rt. 3/ Rt. 14 and Wi...

Crash damages bridge at Middlesex-Gloucester line, VSP investigating

5Jun

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News, Traffic

Crash damages bridge at Middlesex-Gloucester line, VSP investigating

Virginia State Police launched an investigation into the truck crash that damaged the bridge over Dragon Run and closed one northbound lane of Rt. 17 at the Gloucester-Middlesex line. The crash occurred Monday around noon. According to VSP, Alvin T. McGowan, a 48-year-old of North Chesterfield, was heading northbound in a 2016 Volvo VHD64T. The truck ran off the road on the right side, hit a guardrail, hit the bridge, and then struck the guardrail a second time. McGowan was not injured, VSP confirmed. VDOT announced a single-lane closure on the northbound side within the noon hour, and it remains underway. The department says the closure is necessary to allow space for crews to make repairs as 60 feet of the bridge rail was damaged by the crash along with about a total of 27...

2 Winchester men killed in Essex crash, driver charged

30May

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2 Winchester men killed in Essex crash, driver charged

A Winchester man has been charged for an Essex County crash that led to the death of two men. The single-vehicle crash occurred last Wednesday on Route 17. Martimiano Perez Linares, age 42, was heading northbound in a 2003 Dodge pickup that was pulling a small trailer, Virginia State Police stated. In the 5300 block of Tidewater Trail (Rt. 17) Linares ran off the road to the left, overturned, and his three passengers were thrown from the truck. Jose Euglogio Cruz Gomez, 61, and Wulfrano Cruz Gomez, 41, who were both also Winchester residents, died at the scene. Linares was entrapped. After his rescue, him and Jose Angel Romero Hernandez, the 36-year-old third passenger, were flown to the hospital in Richmond, VSP stated. Hernandez was seriously injured but his injuries were not...

VSP launches investigation into Fauquier tractor-trailer crash that shut down I-66 West

18May

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News, Traffic

VSP launches investigation into Fauquier tractor-trailer crash that shut down I-66 West

The hours-long road closure on Interstate 66 West in Fauquier on Friday was caused by an overturned tractor-trailer that resulted in the westbound lanes being closed at the 24.8 mile marker. Virginia State Police said a 2010 International crashed at 8:10 a.m. The truck was headed westbound and a vehicle, that’s currently unidentified, made an unsafe lane change, VSP said. The vehicle’s maneuver caused the tractor-trailer, which was hauling 50,000 pounds of peas, to run off the left side of the highway, hit a guardrail, and turn over in the median, VSP reported. The truck driver, a 54-year-old Suffolk man who wasn’t named, was wearing a seatbelt and didn’t suffer any injuries. (Photo: VSP) But traffic was detoured off I-66 at Exit 27, and the cleanup effort took hours. VSP...

+Year-long lane closures on Eltham Bridge in West Point starting next week

17May

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News, Traffic

+Year-long lane closures on Eltham Bridge in West Point starting next week

If you travel between West Point and New Kent, be advised that work will begin on Eltham Bridge next week and is expected to continue through August 2025. VDOT said there will a $5.6 million effort that consists of three different projects. That work includes applying a concrete sealant to the deck, installing a new gutter system on the movable portion of Eltham Bridge, and installing new utility hangers to attach water and sewer pipes under the bridge. Work begins May 20 On Monday, May 20, work will begin. Those on Rt. 30/33 should expect work crews, equipment, and barrels along the route. Starting at 8 a.m., there will be a lane closure for eastbound traffic that will remain in place until noon on Friday, May 24. That closure will return at noon on Tuesday, May 28 runni...

Frederick County deputy injured in Shenandoah dump truck crash

3May

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Frederick County deputy injured in Shenandoah dump truck crash

Although a charge has already been filed, Virginia State Police is still investigating a crash in Shenandoah County involving a dump truck and a police vehicle at the 292 mile marker. The incident occurred this morning around 5:45 on Interstate 81. According to VSP, 71-year-old Gaylon Miller of Toms Brook, was heading north and accidently engaged the dump bed. The raised dump bed hit the Rt. 646 overpass and detached from the truck. The detached bed slid backwards, said VSP, and landed on a northbound 2022 Ford Explorer belonging to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office. (Photos: VSP) The deputy, who wasn’t named, was transported to Winchester Medical Center for treatment. VSP characterized the injuries as minor. Miller wasn’t injured. Thus far, he is charged with reckles...

I-64 East on-ramp at Tidewater Dr. in Norfolk to close

1May

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I-64 East on-ramp at Tidewater Dr. in Norfolk to close

Drivers in Norfolk, be advised, the I-64 East on-ramp from Tidewater Drive south is set to shut down as soon as tomorrow, May 2. There will be a long-term detour VDOT announced drivers could see crews start moving in around 8 p.m. The closure is needed to facilitate essential roadway and bridge widening work for the first phase of the Hampton Roads Express Lanes (HREL) Norfolk project. While the on-ramp is closed, a new left turn will be in place at Thole Street to access I-64 east. Signed detour routes will be in place to direct motorists.  Once the on-ramp is closed, VDOT said it isn’t expected to reopen until early 2026. HREL-Norfolk is a project that will ultimately become a part of an overall continuous 45-mile high-occupancy toll Express Lanes network on I-64, from wes...

Virginia State Trooper caused a crash to stop wrong-way driver

24Apr

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News, Traffic

Virginia State Trooper caused a crash to stop wrong-way driver

A Virginia State Trooper setup a crash to stop a wrong-way driver on I-64. On Saturday, April 20, VSP said multiple reports came in about a wrong-way driver on I-64 near the 256 mile marker. Michael LeSage was one of the troopers who was on the lookout for the vehicle. He told 3WTKR that he saw the vehicle heading toward him. "I knew I was going to have to strike him to stop him from hitting anybody else, so that's what I did. I positioned my car to strike his vehicle; just at the last second I offset my vehicle just enough to lessen the impact for both of us," LeSage explained to the 3WTKR. According to VSP, LeSage positioned himself in the eastbound lanes, and at 4:03 a.m. he notified dispatchers that had been struck head on at a high rate of speed by the wrong-way ...