Road trip! Warm spring day in western Virginia

 It was a beautiful spring morning when a friend and I headed south from Staunton to Lexington and then turned west on I-64 heading toward the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia. If you've never driven this stretch of interstate, you've missed a beautiful part of Virginia and West Virginia.

 This is the on-ramp for I-64 west of Lexington. Look at the scenery ... mountains, trees, blue sky.

 First stop was Clifton Forge snuggled along the mountain bases.

 There's a Tea Room in Clifton Forge!

 And then out the western side of Clifton Forge back onto the interstate to nearby Covington.

 The Chocolate Festival is this Saturday at the Armory in Clifton Forge. Sweet tooth mandatory....

 Covington is a combination of small and large homes ...

 ... the railroad ...

 ... and a quaint downtown.

 They have a new Visitor Center that also houses the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce.

 By afternoon temperatures had reached 70 degrees as we lunched in Covington, then back on the road toward Lexington ...

 ... and the familiar sights of that area.

 The Blue Ridge Mountains were ahead of us as we traveled east on I-64 and then north on I-81 before turning east on I-64 at Staunton to drive up and over to the eastern side of Afton Mountain before heading back home to Staunton.

Afton Mountain and Waynesboro in the Shenandoah Valley below. This part of Virginia touches hearts and souls ... it's a wonderful place to call home.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
April 1, 2014

I-64 at Fishersville exit 91 to divert traffic March 17-18

Virginia Department of Transportation announced that Interstate 64 at Fishersville in Augusta County will be closed overnight for work on the new Rt. 608 bridge over the interstate.

On Monday, March 17, eastbound traffic will be diverted off I-64 at Exit 91 between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. to the on/off ramps to avoid the work zone. On Tuesday, May 18, during the same hours, westbound interstate traffic will be diverted to the on-off ramps between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

All work is weather permitting.

I-64 over Afton Mountain to receive improvements

For years I-64 over Afton Mountain has been a foggy gap through the mountains in bad weather as well as icy, snowy, windy, and every other weather condition possible. Since it was completed in 1972, this interstate that connects the coast of Virginia westward to the mountains has been used by millions of travelers. It's gentle grade and curves made crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains far easier and safer than in the past, and in good conditions it's a breeze to drive.

That is, until bad weather hits, and one particularly nasty deterrent over the years has been fog that can be as thick as pea soup, literally limiting visibility to about as far as the front of your vehicle. With eyes squinting to see through the thick, opaque haze, it can make for a white-knuckle, heart-stopping drive as you go up against Mother Nature.

And then there's the other drivers. That's where Russian roulette comes into play because some drivers feel completely safe continuing at the 65 mph posted speed limit even though they can't see beyond their noses. Others slow down ... but how much? Some almost stop while others feel safe at 55 or 45 or 35. That's a dangerous mix on foggy or wintry Afton.

For years those living in the area have suggested that a variable speed limit would be helpful under such conditions. Improvements have been made as far as automatic fog lights that outline lanes making it easier not to drive over the side of the mountain, and electronic signs with messages warning of inclement conditions. But the speed limit issue was still there. And pileups still happened even with the improvements.

Thankfully, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a new phase of improvements is going to be put in place and, included in Phase 2, will be the variable speed signs:

The variable speed limit would allow VDOT to not only detect inclement weather or changing traffic patterns but automatically alter the road’s legal speed limit to prepare drivers for the conditions.

In Afton, Shiley said, “we looked at crash types, not just number of crashes, and it led us to this solution: We really need to have something to get motorists to slow down when we have fog conditions or winter weather conditions.”

Afton is legendary for the pileups that have occurred over the years:

In April 1992, state police responded to a 60-car pileup that resulted in two fatalities. In April 1998, a 65-car pileup sent 40 people to area hospitals. Then, less than three weeks later, the road was the site of an 18-car collision. In all three incidents, police reported that fog was a major factor.

The new improvements will be welcomed. Now if we could just get climbing lanes....

Afton roadwork

Roadwork is scheduled to continue on I-64 near the top of Afton Mountain this week. This is the VDOT sign on I-64 heading west toward Afton on Sunday afternoon. With rain moving in for the next three days, one has to wonder if the work will need to be rescheduled once again after delays this past week due to rain.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
May 5, 2013

Afton Mountain I-64 work to continue next week

There's no immediate relief in sight for commuters and travelers after VDOT announced another week of work and closures on I-64 at Afton Mountain, as reported by NBC-29.

Stabilizing Afton Mountain adjacent to the I-64 westbound lanes will take longer than originally reported and, while the drivers understood the necessity of the work, it did not help soothe frazzled nerves due to the backups. Commuters who regularly drove over the mountain found themselves in long lines of traffic causing frustration, some arriving late for work and appointments.

 VDOT's press release notifying the media of next week's closures:

I-64 EMERGENCY PROJECT WILL CONTINUE NEXT WEEK

Traffic restrictions resume April 29-May 2 while unstable soil is removed from Afton Mountain slope

CULPEPER – Intermittent traffic restrictions on Interstate 64 between Charlottesville and Waynesboro will resume next week during operations to remove unstable soil from Afton Mountain above the highway at milepost 100.3 in Albemarle County.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 29, traffic on I-64 will be restricted in both directions for 30-45 minutes. The restrictions will continue through the day, ending between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. The westbound right shoulder will be closed and work zone activity will begin at 7 a.m. each day but traffic will not be restricted before 9 a.m. The work is expected to continue through Thursday, May 2.

The restrictions will affect traffic from Exit 107 (Route 250/Rockfish Gap Turnpike) at Crozet to Exit 96 (Route 624/S. Delphine Avenue) at Waynesboro. Drivers should expect significant congestion and delays; passenger vehicles are encouraged to use Route 250 as an alternate route. Message boards along I-64 will advise motorists of the closures and expected congestion in the area.

Motorists should check VDOT's traffic information web site, www.511virginia.org, or call 511 for real-time information about traffic conditions and delays.

Update: I-64 Afton delays cause long backups, frazzled commuters

Drivers were frustrated and frazzled after dealing with Monday's traffic backups on Afton Mountain due to repairs on an unstable mountainside. A necessary part of highway upkeep and maintenance for the safety of the public, the slow-down didn't help commuters who regularly drive the mountain.

I talked with one commuter who had to wait 20 minutes on Rt. 151 waiting at the stop sign to turn left onto Rt. 250 west going up Afton. Traffic was sluggish on the uphill side, and then going down into Waynesboro, vehicles were backed halfway up the mountain, at a standstill as workers tried to make their way home. Some commute times were doubled by the backup.

Another driver headed out to Charlottesville to her job at UVA Hospital only to find traffic on I-64 East already backed up to Fishersville. NBC-29 talked with some drivers and has more about the work being done to stop the mountain from sliding.

Update 4/23/2013: Traffic backups on I-64 at Afton Mountain continued to cause headaches on Tuesday as commuters dealt with clogged detours and standstills. It was common to hear commuters telling of drive times twice as long as usual. NBC-29 has a Tuesday, April 23, update about conditions on Afton.

Update: I-64 Afton delays cause long backups, frazzled drivers

Drivers were frustrated and frazzled after dealing with Monday's traffic backups on Afton Mountain due to repairs on an unstable mountainside. A necessary part of highway upkeep and maintenance for the safety of the public, the slow-down didn't help commuters who regularly drive the mountain.

I talked with one commuter who had to wait 20 minutes on Rt. 151 waiting at the stop sign to turn left onto Rt. 250 west going up Afton. Traffic was sluggish on the uphill side, and then going down into Waynesboro, vehicles were backed halfway up the mountain, at a standstill as workers tried to make their way home. Some commute times were doubled by the backup.

Another driver headed out to Charlottesville to her job at UVA Hospital only to find traffic on I-64 East already backed up to Fishersville.

NBC-29 talked with some drivers and has more about the work being done to stop the mountain from sliding.

Update 4/23/2013: Traffic backups on I-64 at Afton Mountain continued to cause headaches on Tuesday as commuters dealt with clogged detours and standstills. It was common to hear commuters telling of drive times twice as long as usual. NBC-29 has a Tuesday update about conditions on Afton.