Firm pushes more road access

BLAIRS — A Richmond consulting firm suggests Pittsylvania County avoid having too many median breaks along U.S. 29 between Dry Fork and Malmaison roads because potential development will need access points.

Left-turn movements at intersections cause 75 percent of crashes, Tim White, access management specialist with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. in Richmond, said Tuesday.

Four-way intersections have too many conflict points, which can be eliminated by closing the median breaks and enabling drivers to make U-turns further down the road, added Andy Boeneau, a consultant with VHB.

VHB, with help from the Clay Christensen Group, gathered input from residents Tuesday at Chatham Middle School as part of an access-management study for the corridor from Route 726 (Malmaison Road) in Blairs to Route 718 (Dry Fork Road) and its intersection with U.S. 29.

It was the second meeting on the study.

The first was held in March, where residents pointed to numerous safety concerns along the stretch of highway, including bad visibility, no deceleration or acceleration lanes and heavy traffic.

They noted safety concerns at the turnoff at Bojangles’ and at the Dry Fork Road intersection.

The Danville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization hired VHB to conduct the study.

The study will help the county determine what kind of guidelines to establish to meet standards from the Virginia Department of Transportation as development occurs along U.S. 29, including those for crossovers, turn lanes and the need for frontage roads.

County and VHB officials said there are no plans for altering U.S. 29.

The recommendations are only guidelines to consider and are needed to meet VDOT standards as specific development projects develop, County Planner Greg Sides said. U.S. 29 will not be widened, as some residents have speculated, Boeneau said.

Wal-Mart’s recent reversal of its plans to locate in Blairs will not affect the study, Sides said. The planner said he still expects commercial growth to occur at the site near the Hatcher Center and Blairs Fire and Rescue.

“We’re assuming it will be suitable with some type of development,” Sides said.

Aerial maps displayed at Tuesday’s meeting showed several right-in, right-out access points proposed by VHB, especially along US. 29 immediately south of Dry Fork Road. Many properties there could use access points, Boeneau said, adding median breaks would create too many traffic-conflict points increasing the likelihood of crashes.

“Lots of properties need access points,” he said. “You don’t want a lot of median breaks.”

VHB recommends eliminating the median break in front of Georges Lane immediately south of Spring Garden Road. Residents entering U.S. 29 from the western side of the road have said they felt unsafe at the intersection, Boeneau said.

“You can close it and send them south to make a U-turn,” he said.

County officials anticipate economic growth along the U.S. 29 corridor and aim to establish guidelines for future developments to follow when designing turnoffs from the highway and other access points.

Boeneau said a draft report of the study will be done by the end of the month. Residents can go to http://www.wppdc.org for updates on the study.

Contact John R. Crane at or (434) 791-7987.