Stafford leaders say more needs to be done to ensure the safety of drivers at Route 1 and Truslow Road.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to send a letter to Virginia Transportation Secretary Shannon Valentine requesting a new, temporary traffic signal at the intersection of Route 1 and Truslow Road.
The transportation agency plans to close a bridge that carries Truslow Road over Interstate 95 in January. The bridge will be rebuilt to accommodate new E-Z-Pass Express Lanes and will reopen in Fall 2020.
There will be detours in place to get drivers who usually take Truslow Road — an east-west route along the southern section of Stafford County — around the bridge closure. The detour routes are concerning to county officials, as documents state:
Detours are anticipated to affect Plantation Drive, Route 17 and Enon Road. Residents have expressed concerns that the intersection currently does not have the proper capacity to safely allow vehicular movement and that the closure of the bridge will only exacerbate this issue, creating further safety concerns for local traffic and school buses.
VDOT told Stafford leaders they don’t think a traffic light is needed at Route 1 and Truslow Road interaction in Falmouth. Documents state:
More recently VDOT has conducted traffic studies showing that the intersection does not warrant a temporary signal during construction and does plan to place “Intersection Ahead” signage with flashing lights by Northbound and Southbound on Route 1. The staff remains concerned that these studies do not adequately address the lack of sight distance for traffic seeking to turn left onto Route 1 Northbound from Truslow Road. After meeting with VDOT and discussing the studies and the concerns of traffic impacts from a signal at Truslow, the staff understands the inconvenience a signal may cause to the Falmouth intersection but still believes safety is an issue at Truslow Road.
The Stafford Board of Supervisors on December 17 voted unanimously to petition Secretary Valentine in Richmond to reconsider. We’ll report back on this story when/if the county receives a response from the secretary.
A total of two bridges that carry Stafford County drivers over I-95 will be closed for the majority of 2020. In addition to the Truslow Road bridge, the American Legion Road bridge, which carries traffic on Ramoth Church Road will also close.
