The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will install flashing yellow arrows at the intersection near Margaret Brent Elementary and Mountain View High School in Stafford County to help drivers turn left safely against oncoming traffic.
- Weather permitting, installation will be scheduled for late October 2019.
- When installation work is complete, the traffic signal on Mountain View Road at Choptank Road and Loop Road will display four arrows.
Traffic on Mountain View Road will first have a green arrow to make protected left turns onto Loop Road, which is the main entrance road to Margaret Brent Elementary School and Mountain View High School.
- When the green arrow disappears, a steady yellow arrow will appear above it, followed by a red arrow to tell drivers to stop. Then, a flashing yellow arrow will appear, communicating that drivers have permission to turn left, but must first yield to oncoming traffic.
All signal work will occur during overnight hours. Traffic will be able to pass through the intersection during each installation. Motorists can anticipate single lane closures between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for two to three consecutive evenings while signal work is underway.
- Virginia State Police will assist with traffic control in the work zone.
Deciding whether to turn left against oncoming traffic is among the most challenging and high-risk decisions for drivers, according to the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP).
- Motorists must assess the speed and distance of the approaching traffic as they make the decision to turn left.
- The research program initiated a study that assessed how drivers interpret symbols and signs for left turns, and found that a flashing yellow arrow was safer, better understood and obeyed more frequently.
- VDOT has created a video demonstrating how to drive through a signal with a flashing yellow signal.
