US ROUTE 50 IN FREDERICK COUNTY VIRGINIA WILL HAVE MAJOR CLOSURE April 18 to 21.

ROUTE 50 IN FREDERICK COUNTY WILL HAVE MAJOR CLOSURE

Closure will be April 18-21

STAUNTON – Motorists traveling on Route 50 near the Virginia border with West Virginia should be alert for an upcoming temporary but major traffic pattern change. The Route 50 westbound lanes will be closed due to railroad work in Gore.

The closure will take place beginning at 7 p.m. on April 18 and lasting until 5 a.m. on April 21. The westbound lanes of Route 50 (Northwestern Pike) in the Gore area of Frederick County will be closed. This location is approximately .1 mile west of Route 752 (Knob Road) and is near the Virginia and West Virginia state line.

The closure is due to railroad work being performed by the Winchester and Western Railroad in the Gore area. All work is weather permitting.

The detour for the Route 50 westbound closure from April 18 -21 is as follows:

For trucks:

From the Winchester area take Route 37 to Route 522 northbound to Route 127 westbound to Route 29 southbound to Route 50.

For passenger vehicles:

From the Winchester area take Route 37 to Route 50 westbound to Route 600 north, to Route 684 east, to Route 522 northbound, to Route 701 to Route 703 to Route 50.

Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511. In areas where 511 is unavailable, dial 1-800-578-4111. (TTY/TDD users, call 711). Traffic alerts and traveler information also are available at 511Virginia.org.

Highway safety is everyone’s responsibility. Virginia’s highway safety partnership — the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and Virginia State Police — challenges you to help prevent highway fatalities. Buckle up. Avoid distractions. Share the road. Drive drug- and alcohol-free. Obey speed limits. For more information on the Highway Safety Challenge and things you can do to avoid becoming Virginia’s next traffic fatality, visit www.safeVAhighways.org.

ROUTE 50 IN FREDERICK COUNTY, VA WILL HAVE MAJOR CLOSURES

ROUTE 50 IN FREDERICK COUNTY

Closures will be March 28-31 and April 18-21

STAUNTON – Motorists traveling on Route 50 near the Virginia border with West Virginia should be alert for two upcoming temporary but major traffic pattern changes.

The first closure will take place beginning at 4 p.m. on March 28 and lasting until 5 a.m. on March 31. Both eastbound lanes of Route 50 (Northwestern Pike) in the Gore area of Frederick County will be closed. This location is approximately .1 mile west of Route 752 (Knob Road) and is near the Virginia and West Virginia state line.

The closure is due to railroad work being performed by the Winchester and Western Railroad in the Gore area. All work is weather permitting.

The detour for the Route 50 eastbound closure from March 28 to 31 is as follows:

Traffic traveling east on Route 50 from any point west of the Gore area, including West Virginia, should head west on Route 50 into West Virginia and turn right onto Route 29 north to Route 127 east and continue to Route 522 south. Motorists should stay on Route 522 south until they reach Route 37. To get back on to Route 50 travelers should head south on Route 37 to the next interchange, which is Route 50.

Passenger vehicles can use an alternate shorter route at Route 703 (Whitacre Road) located west of Gore. This alternate route uses several secondary roads which are not suitable for tractor trailer traffic.

The second closure will be from April 18 to 21 at the same location. Both westbound Route 50 lanes will be closed beginning at 7 p.m. on April 18 and lasting until 5 a.m. on April 21. VDOT will send out detour information at the beginning of April.

Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511. In areas where 511 is unavailable, dial 1-800-578-4111. (TTY/TDD users, call 711). Traffic alerts and traveler information also are available at 511Virginia.org.

Highway safety is everyone’s responsibility. Virginia’s highway safety partnership — the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and Virginia State Police — challenges you to help prevent highway fatalities. Buckle up. Avoid distractions. Share the road. Drive drug- and alcohol-free. Obey speed limits. For more information on the Highway Safety Challenge and things you can do to avoid becoming Virginia’s next traffic fatality, visit www.safeVAhighways.org.

Economic Growth means money for roads

The US 50 Association met on Wednesday in Garrett County, MD. Yes, I know this is a West Virginia blog, but the US 50 Association is made up of 5 West Virginia Counties. It was just Maryland's turn to host the event.
This meeting had a featured speaker of Joe Deneault of West Virginians for Better Transportation. Joe gave a very detailed report on the state of roads, funding, and the future. The future is not good, and as everybody knows it is funding. The state has more than 1/3 of its bridges needing replaced, and 30% of the roads are substandard and no money to make the fixes.

The discussion turned to funding sources. Mr. Deneault stated that the public indicated that no increase in taxes would be acceptable. I agree, there is too much government waste in this state to require a tax increase. If we can get spending under control in Charleston, we will not need to increase taxes. West Virginia has the highest number of state employees per capita, than any other state. That means all of us that work in the private sector pay for a government that can't service our needs. It is time for a change.

When asked what other states have done for highway funds, the response was Toll Roads in populated areas, Tax Incremental Financing in growth areas, Private-Public Partnerships on toll roads, and selling toll roads to private companies. Toll Roads seem to dominate the idea to get around taxes. Toll Roads are still a tax, they are a use tax paid each time you use it. Private-Public partnerships were called Corporatism by Benito Mussolini and I'm not sure that is Mussolini is a good roll model for West Virginia. Selling the toll road to a private company would be a good idea. The money sink of Tamarack would no longer be a drain on the state. When government tries to run a business it usually ends up costing the taxpayers money.

The last is the TIF districts. I have mixed feelings about these. I think the can be good for small targeted projects. Mineral County is using a TIF district to build a traffic light for the new hospital south of Keyser and that makes sense. Unless of course the hospital gets sold to a non-profit at which point the county will get stuck with bill, because non-profits don't pay taxes.

The answer to increase the money available to the WVDOH is simple. Cut the waste in other parts of government and make the changes needed to attract businesses to the state. We are dead last in best states to do business. When those companies locate in other states, they pay no taxes here to use on the roads.

Evacuation Destination

For well over two years now, federal, state, and local authorities have crafted plans to deal with possible major terror attack on Washington D. C. Now millions of dollars may come available to invest in an infrastructure to handle the strain of hundreds of thousands of people pouring into the West Virginia mountains.

We saw how disaster preparedness worked in Louisiana a few years ago. A corrupt city of New Orleans and Louisiana state government misspent money and provided no leadership when hit by a massive hurricane. West Virginia's county, city, and state governments need to figure out not only how to solve problems, but what the biggest problems are likely to be.

Certainly first and foremost we need better infrastructure. Virginia must get on board to link Corridor H to the interstate system or risk creating a dangerous bottleneck that terrorists could strike in a second wave attack. US 50 needs serious upgrades. Even if it ultimately falls short of a four lane expressway, traffic not used to mountain travel needs a road easier to navigate. First responders in the Potomac Highlands need training on how to handle chemical, biological, and radiation related conditions. Predetermined quarantine areas need to be determined as well as where to place the rest of the people fleeing the event.

We need to address all these issues and more. What we do not need is to spend this money in the same old ways. The priorities and methods that have dominated Legislative decision making for over seventy years need to change overall, but especially in this situation. People's lives, evacuees and residents alike, will hang in the balance by the thousands; politicians and planners need to repsect and remember that. Hopefully those that represent the Potomac Highlands and Eastern Panhandle can make others in the state appreciate the potential here for effective deliverance or utter disaster.

US 50's Dorsey's Curve

Last Thursday yet another vehicle crashed on U.S. Route 50 at Dorsey’s Curve. This time no one was killed, but that is not always the case. A remember a few years ago when a couple was killed and their pet dog was taken in my locals and eventually money was raised and the dog was sent to their family in Arizona.

With US 50 the most unsafe highway in West Virginia per vehicle mile driven, Dorsey's Curve stands as one of the best known trouble spots over the route. So at what point does the state begin to hear the public cries to have the turn reconstructed, so it is safe for travel.

The truck that crashed on Thursday was about the same size as the school buses that run that route daily when school is in session. With modern earth moving equipment that turn can be easily modified for safety. Any death on that turn is one to many, but is it going to take a school bus full of kids to crash before public officials respond to the public cry for help.

Wednesday July 18th the US 50 Association will meet at the Cornish Manor in Oakland, MD at 12 noon and both WVDOH and elected officials will be there. Now is the time for state and local officials to hear the citizen's.