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Route 612 traffic draws complaints
Although not officially a bypass around Berryville, Route 612 (Shepherds Mill Road) has in essence become one for scores of commuters looking for a shortcut from Route 340 to Route 7. The result has been excessive speeding and other dangerous driving practices along the nearly six-mile rural roadway, according to several county supervisors voicing the concern of residents who have complained about the problem.And they are asking the Virginia Department of Transportation to keep a watchful eye on traffic to determine whether lowering posted speed limits and other traffic calming measures are warranted.
Some residents have dubbed the road the “Berryville Bypass” because of the steady stream of commuters, especially from West Virginia, trying to shave several miles off their drive during the morning and evening rush hours.
During a recent meeting with VDOT officials, several supervisors echoed that sentiment, saying some drivers are disregarding speed limits and endangering lives in their haste to reach their destinations.
Although the posted speed limit is 45 mph for 1.46 miles south from Route 340 on the road’s northern end, VDOT also has erected a black-and-yellow caution sign suggesting that drivers slow down to 35 mph to safely negotiate a sharp curve at that end. The limit is 35 mph on the road’s southern end for .38 miles north from Route 7. And it is 55 mph on the remaining stretch of road between those two end zones.
“Folks are just flat out in a hurry all the time,” said Supervisor David Weiss (R-Buckmarsh/Blue Ridge). He noted that, because he arises early to farm his land, “I get people that roll around me at 5:30 and 6 o’clock in the morning, and they don’t get to the stop sign but 30 seconds before I do.”
“I think (Route) 612 is a dangerous road,” Supervisor A.R. “Pete” Dunning, Jr., (R-White Post) said, adding common sense must play a role in setting speed limits.
“I really would like to have more protection for the people in my district,” Supervisor Barbara Byrd (I-Russell) told the transportation officials, pointing out that the county’s border with West Virginia attracts cut-through traffic on Shepherds Mill Road as well as on Crums Church and Triple Seven roads.
Both Weiss and Byrd represent residents in neighborhoods near the border between the two states.
“We will continue to monitor it to see if any changes are warranted in the speed zoning on that route (612),” said Jeffrey Lineberry, VDOT’s resident engineer. In past years, he noted, VDOT has extended the length of the 45 mph zone on the northern end and posted a four-way stop at the intersection of routes 612 and 608 (Wycliffe Road).
From February, 2003 to September, 2007, VDOT recorded 16 accidents along Shepherds Mill Road, causing a total of $92,000 in damage. Five of those accidents resulted in personal injuries, and 11 resulted in property damage.
On Jan. 23, VDOT monitored truck traffic from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. along the road to its intersection with Wycliffe Road. In a Feb. 8 letter, Lineberry told County Administrator David Ash that through-truck traffic did not appear to be a problem. Most of the trucks appeared to be service-type vehicles that made their deliveries and then backtracked along the route.
Contact the reporter at rmarlow@timespapers.com
This has a simple solution. 2 signs. At the West VA end, the sign reads "No thru Traffic, 6 am - 9:30 am M-F"
At the entrance to Shepard's Mill Road off of Rt. 7, the sign would read "No Thru Traffic, 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm M-F".
Traffic officers would be needed at first, and then on an irregular, surprise basis...in the morning at the intersection of Rt. 7, and in the evening at the 340 intersection, to issue citations to those whose driver's license address is not from that vicinity.
It's not the speed; it's the volume. Plus, think of all the revenues garnered.
Posted by retreatdweller
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