Safety measures considered for intersection many call dangerous
The Virginia Department of Transportation is considering making corrective repairs to a stretch of road that many commuters complain has a dangerous curve. Residents in the area surrounding the intersection of Rockaway Road, Groundhog Drive, and Old Bon Air Road in Chesterfield, Virginia, report witnessing and hearing multiple traffic collisions at the curve in the road at this intersection and ensuing ambulance sirens. Although residents are recommending the state’s transportation department add safety features such as guardrails, speed bumps, or deer crossing traffic signs, to the intersection, Chesterfield Police officers don’t report a significant increase in collisions in the region. In the area in 2010, only one collision occurred in this section of the road, and four collisions occurred there in 2009. Two deer related collisions have occurred in the area since 2007. The Virginia Department of Transportation is currently investigating the intersection to see if the danger could be reduced by installing speed bumps, guard rails, or another safety feature. Safety officials at the department, however, say they do not foresee a need for deer crossing signs, given the comparatively low number of deer related accidents that have occurred in the area. The Virginia Department of Transportation does plan on installing curve advisory traffic signs and traffic delineators at each end of the intersection, and making an official decision on whether to install guard rails at the road’s curve in the near future.
