Slower traffic on Va. 151 sought

By Justin Faulconer

Published: July 24, 2008

After seven fatalities in less than two years, speed limits have dropped along some stretches of Virginia 151 in northern Nelson County.

The Board of Supervisors wants speed limits lowered in another area along the corridor. The board passed a resolution in June that recommends the Virginia Department of Transportation implement a consistent 45-mile-per-hour speed limit for the stretch of road just north of Bland Wade Lane into Nellysford.

Speed limits along 151 became a concern after a string of accidents, some including fatalities, happened. In response last year, VDOT dropped the speed limit — 55 mph on much of the highway — by 10 mph near Bland Wade Lane to 45.

But on a section south of the Virginia 6 intersection to the outskirts of Nellysford, the speed limit on 151 is still 55 mph. Supervisors want that section’s limit reduced to 45.

County Administrator Steve Carter said there is a need for a consistent lower speed limit in that stretch where car crashes in the past 18 months have occurred.“It’s heavily traveled and is a shortcut from (Interstate 64) to (U.S.) 29,” said Carter. “There is a lot of traffic on that road.”

Accidents and concern about them is what prompted the decision to lower the limit in the Greenfield area, said Kevin Wright, a residency VDOT administrator.

“We had an abnormally high number of accidents in a short period of time,” he said. “It was deemed to be a suitable change.”

Supervisors and a group of citizens called Project 151 had raised concerns about a high volume of commercial trucks using the road as a shortcut.

VDOT studied the issue but determined that an alternative route, one which would not produce “undue hardship” on the drivers, could not be found. Since then, the county’s inquiry on a possible ban on through trucks has stalled.

“It seems unlikely that it will ever happen,” said Carter.

That left speed limits as an issue on which action could be taken. The county is still wording its resolution for specifics on the location, Carter said, but county officials expect it to be ready soon to submit to VDOT.

Wright said once VDOT gets the resolution, the residency office in Amherst would study the traffic and engineering factors to determine the proposal’s merit before making a final decision.

In addition to use as a shortcut, Virginia 151 is a scenic route travelers use to get to attractions such as Wintergreen Resort and Crabtree Falls.

A study on the corridor was done in the late ’90s, Wright said, and growth has stabilized.

“Our traffic counts are showing traffic is holding its own,” he said.

A few years ago, the board passed a resolution urging VDOT to lower speed limits along U.S. 29 from 60 mph to 55. The request led to a drop to 45 mph, Wright said, in the area in Lovingston where the county’s only stoplight is.