The second round of community meetings that gave those throughout the Roanoke Valley a chance to voice their concerns regarding dangerous roads in our region will wrap up on Tuesday. The final meeting will be held at the Vinton War Memorial from 5 to 7 p.m.
It’s part of a collaborative effort between Roanoke County, Botetourt County and the Town of Vinton on a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan through the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. Community members have been meeting in different localities since Sept. 3 to provide their input on potential solutions aiming to make roads safer and prevent deaths and serious injuries on roads for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders.
This comes after an initial set of meetings held in April and May, which garnered more than 400 survey submissions from people commenting on high-risk areas.
Here’s a closer look at problem areas that were identified in a Timmons Group study and what the survey responses revealed.
In the spring, the local consultant firm determined that the following were the top 10 intersections of serious injuries and fatal crashes:
- West Main Street at Dow Hollow Road towards I-81
- Washington Avenue at Food Lion Access (Vinton)
- Challenger Avenue at Valley Gateway Boulevard (Vinton)
- Plantation Road at McDonald’s/Days Inn Access
- Electric Road at I-81 Southbound Ramps at Exit 141
- Shadwell Drive at Hollins Road
- Shadwell Drive at Sanderson Drive
- Hardy Road and Feather Road (Vinton)
- Peters Creek Road at Barrens Road
- Williamson Road at Plantation Road
Survey results, however, identified new areas to consider, bringing the following intersections to the project:
- Challenger Avenue and Valley Gateway Boulevard (Roanoke County)
- Has seen 86 crashes since 2015, including three severe injury crashes and one fatal crash
- This was ranked as the 1st highest priority by the community survey
- North Electric Road and I-81 Ramps at Exit 141 (Roanoke County)
- Has seen 33 crashes since 2015, including four serious injury crashes
- Ranked as the 3rd highest priority by the community survey
- Washington Avenue and East Vinton Plaza (Vinton):
- Has seen 51 crashes since 2015, including six serious injury crashes
- Ranked as the 4th highest priority by the community survey
- Hardy Road and Feather Road (Vinton):
- Has seen 20 crashes since 2015, including four serious injury crashes
- Ranked as the 5th highest priority by the community survey
- Plantation Road and McDonald’s/Days Inn Access (Roanoke County)
- Has seen 33 crashes since 2015, including four serious injury crashes
- Ranked as the 8th highest priority by the community survey
- Shadwell Drive and Sanderson Drive/Hollins Road (Roanoke County)
- Has seen 35 crashes since 2015, including four serious injury crashes
- Ranked as the 9th highest priority by the community survey
Vinton’s deputy town manager said it’s important to address these hot spots even though they may not have as many crashes as others.
Furthermore, the intersection between US-220 and Read Mountain Road was identified as the highest crash area in Botetourt County, but survey results highlighted the following locations as areas of concern:
- Blue Ridge Boulevard (Welches Run Road to Mountain Pass Road)
- Cloverdale Road (Cougar Drive to Botetourt County Line)
- Cloverdale Road (Lee High to Autmnwood Lane)
- Botetourt Road (Gala Loop Road to James Street)
- Lee Highway (Hardbarger Road to Curtis Deacon Boulevard)
- Botetourt Road (Locust Bottom Road to Prices Bluff Road)
- Roanoke Road (W. Main Street to Brughs Mills Road)
- Parkway Drive (Main Street to Botetourt County Line)
- Arcadia Road (Frontage Road to Stinnett Road)
- Lee Highway/US Route 11
Community feedback also revealed that among the myriad of concerns expressed by residents, speeding is at the top of the list.
Proposed solutions to address these concerns will vary depending on the location, with some suggestions being to:
- Lower speed limits
- Review the timing of stoplights
- Reduce lanes
- Reconfigure intersections to reduce medians
- Construct roundabouts
The final meeting will be held Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Vinton War Memorial.
