TRANSPORTATION
Va. 17 business crossover in Stafford to be closed The Virginia Department of Transportation will close a Route 17 Business crossover in Stafford County at the intersection with Melchers Drive and Washington Street to reduce crashes and prevent additional injuries. Closing the crossover means left turns will no longer be possible from Washington Street onto Route 17 Business northbound, or from Melchers Drive onto Route 17 Business southbound, according to VDOT. Right turns into and from Washington Street and Melchers Drive will continue to be permitted at the intersection. The decision to close the crossover was made after a review found 53 crashes occurred at the intersection over a fouryear period between 2012 and 2015. Most of the crashes were angle crashes, and 30 people were injured. “Changing the traffic pattern at this location should significantly reduce the crash risk for motorists exiting at these streets, as well as for motorists traveling on Route 17,” said Kyle Bates, Assistant Fredericksburg Residency Administrator. “We recognize this will require residents to adjust their daily travel pattern, and we apologize for any disruption this may cause. However, the safety benefits of closing the crossover were clear.” The crossover is scheduled to close by June 1. A raised concrete median will be installed across the current opening. Message boards will be stationed on area roads leading to the intersection approximately one week before the closure date.
One-way signs will be posted on Melchers Drive and Washington Drive for motorists approaching the Route 17 Business intersection, indicating only right turns are permitted for traffic exiting these streets. Traffic is expected to divert to Route 1 northbound or Route 212 (Chatham Heights Road) and Route 218 (Butler Road). Additional lane capacity that opened at the Falmouth intersection in September 2015 can accommodate the increased number of vehicles. During peak morning and afternoon travel periods, only 1-2 vehicles per minute turns left from Washington Street onto northbound Route 17 Business, on average. Lower traffic volumes are present on Melchers Drive. Traffic projections show these vehicles can be accommodated on surrounding primary roads and the Falmouth intersection. “We waited to study traffic conditions until after the opening of the expanded Falmouth intersection last September,” Bates said. “We wanted to be confident that surrounding roads could handle the additional number of vehicles if we closed the crossover.” Motorists are reminded that a 25 mph speed limit is posted on several residential streets in the Falmouth area, including Ingleside Drive, Lendall Lane, Melchers Drive and Washington Street.
Stafford County Sun wins VPA awards The Stafford County Sun won four awards at the Virginia Press Association annual banquet April 9. Columnist David Kerr received a second-place award for his columns. Aleks Dolzenko got third place in the portrait or personality photo category. Dolzenko and page designer Chadwick Watters received third place for a combination of story and photos. In the advertising competition, Brenda Powell and Chris Allison received a second-place award for an ad about the Barton & Williams School of Dance. The Stafford County Sun competed among weekly newspapers with a circulation of more than 7,000.
2016 MOLLY GILL SURVIVOR AWARD
The commemoration of the 2016 Crime Victims’ Right Week included the presentation of the 2016 Molly Gill Survivor Award to Kristi and Jim Newman, who were the victims of a home invasion attack. Virginia Secretary of Public Safety & Homeland Security Brian J. Moran was the keynote speaker at the event April 12. In the photo are, from left, Sheriff D.P. Decatur, Commonwealth Attorney Eric L. Olsen, Kristi Newman and Moran. SUBMITTED
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BRIEFS GIANT FOOD UNION TO HOST TOWN HALL MEETING The quest to keep the Giant Food grocery store open in North Stafford and other locations in the area prompted employees to launch the “Save My Store” campaign after the news that the Ahold/ Delhaize merger could close local stores. The new firm would own three stores in North Stafford, a unionized Giant and two Food Lions. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 is bringing the fight to North Stafford with a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. April 20 at the Hampton Inn, 2915 Jefferson Davis Highway, according to Jonathan Williams, the union’s communications manager. The union said it was informed that as many as eight stores may be closed, including Giant 234 and 243 in Stafford; Giant 789 in Falmouth; and Giant 235 and 770 in Fredericksburg.
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