This week is National Work Zone Awareness Week and there are many aspects to a work zone that every driver should know. Timmons Group works on traffic and transportation projects every day that require lane closures, reduced speed limits, and employees out on the job site in the work zones.
One work zone you have probably driven through if you have ever been to Chesterfield County is the Route 10 Superstreet. Located between I-95 and I-295 near the Meadowville Technology Park from Bermuda Triangle Road to Rivers Bend Boulevard, the corridor, which was already 4 lanes, is being widened to an 8-lane road. You could say that is a pretty large work zone!
Many precautions have taken place to ensure that we are protecting workers and reducing the chance of injuries or fatalities that could be caused by distracted driving through work zones. While on site, we found that many motorists were speeding through the work zone despite having the typical signage in place from the Virginia Work Area Protection Manual. One of the first safety measures implemented was working with VDOT to get approval on a Work Zone Speed Analysis to reduce the speed limit from 55 to 45 miles per hour. In order to implement this precaution, reduced speed limit signs and an increased police presence to enforce speeding and cell phone ticketing were added along the corridor.
You might be asking yourself by now, “but wait, what is a Superstreet?” When the Route 10 Superstreet is completed in Spring of 2022, the corridor will benefit from increased safety and capacity as well as improved traffic flow and access management. A Superstreet intersection ultimately manages and eliminates the left and through movements on the minor street of a traditional intersection (meaning a few more right turns for you). By eliminating some of the turning movements of an intersection, the Superstreet will reduce conflict points and alter the severity of the crashes that do occur. This innovative intersection design will efficiently manage even more than just safety for drivers.
Although it’s National Work Zone Awareness Week this week, it is important to always drive carefully and avoid being a distracted driver any day or week of the year. Our main goal at Timmons Group is to protect the people working on project sites and ensure they get to make it home each day to see their families.
