Wednesday, May 6WATCHFUL EYE

Tag: Virginia traffic news

VSP launches investigation into Fauquier tractor-trailer crash that shut down I-66 West
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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...
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+Year-long lane closures on Eltham Bridge in West Point starting next week
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+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...
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Frederick County deputy injured in Shenandoah dump truck crash
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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...
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I-64 East on-ramp at Tidewater Dr. in Norfolk to close
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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...
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Virginia State Trooper caused a crash to stop wrong-way driver
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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 ...
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FBI & VDOT issue warnings about toll text scam
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FBI & VDOT issue warnings about toll text scam

VDOT added its voice to warnings about a toll text scam. Earlier this month, the FBI issued an alert noting that its Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 2,000 complaints since early March about smishing texts involving toll collection services. Smishing is a tactic whereby fake text messages are used to get people to download malware, share sensitive information, or send money to cybercriminals. According to the FBI, the smishing texts in this case  claim the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls and contain almost identical language. The "outstanding toll amount" is similar among the complaints. However, the link provided within the text is created to impersonate the state's toll service name and phone numbers appear to change between states, the FBI’s alert not...
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Tractor-trailer crashes into medical transport, Tappahannock man flown out
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Tractor-trailer crashes into medical transport, Tappahannock man flown out

Two people were hospitalized after a tractor-trailer crashed into a medical transport van in Essex, Virginia State Police announced. On Tuesday morning, a medical transport van, a 2012 Dodge, was stopped in the road on Rt. 360 about .2 of a mile west of Route 619 because a tree had fallen across both the eastbound and westbound lanes, according to VSP. A 2015 Freightliner tractor-trailer rear-ended the van, which had a passenger in route to McGuire Veterans Hospital. VSP, said after impact with the van, the tractor-trailer jack-knifed and hit the bridge. A portion of the cab was over the side of the bridge. The driver of the van, a 55-year-old Henrico man, was transported to the hospital via ambulance. VSP reported his injuries as serious but non-life-threatening. The medical t...
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I-95 S lane closures in Dale City tonight
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I-95 S lane closures in Dale City tonight

Drivers planning to use I-95 in Dale City tonight take note that lane closures are scheduled in the southbound general purpose lanes. Delays are expected as a result. The closure is planned from around the 155 mile marker between Cardinal Drive and the Dale City Truck Only Safety Rest Area South. According to VDOT, the closures are planned as follows: 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 10: One lane closed 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 10 to 5 a.m. Thursday, April 11: Two lanes closed 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday, April 11: One lane closed VDOT said the closure is to allow for striping work part of the I-95 over Powells Creek Bridge Rehabilitation Project, which is improving safety and extending the overall life of the northbound and southbound I-95 general purpose lanes brid...
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No bond for Knoxville man charged with DUI in fatal Frederick County crash
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No bond for Knoxville man charged with DUI in fatal Frederick County crash

No bond was granted for the Knoxville, TN man charged amid a fatal DUI crash in Frederick County on Monday. Virginia State Police said they responded to the scene on I-81 at the 316 mile marker shortly before 11 p.m. Troopers found a 2018 Toyota Highlander reportedly driven by 54-year-old Kenneth Bireta was traveling north on I-81 when it ran off the left side of the road into the median. The Highlander flipped several time, and when it came to a rest, it was in the southbound lanes, VSP reported. A 2019 Nissan Rogue that was heading southbound collided with the Highlander, and the driver of the Rogue, 60-year-old William F. Allison of Martinsburg, WV died at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt, VSP reported. Bireta was wearing a seatbelt but suffered serious injuries alth...
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Truck driver killed in hit-and-run on I-81 in Shenandoah, VSP wants info
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Truck driver killed in hit-and-run on I-81 in Shenandoah, VSP wants info

Virginia State Police is seeking information related to a hit-and-run that killed a truck driver in Shenandoah County. According to VSP, James W. Carr, Jr. a 64-year-old Alton, NH man was hit by an unknown vehicle on Saturday, March 23, on I-81 at the 296-mile marker. Police say the crash occurred between 5:00 – 8:12 a.m. Carr was a pedestrian and was in the roadway when he was hit by a northbound vehicle that didn’t stop. VSP has not provided any explanation for why Carr in the road. From the investigation, VSP determined that Carr had been driving a red 2022 Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer with Crete Carrier Corp. on the sides. Earlier that day, Carr stopped at the Pilot Travel Center in the 1000 block of Mt. Olive Road in Toms Brook, which is in Shenandoah County, said...
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