LANE RANGER: Readers: Turn lanes from Dale to Benita Fitzgerald need help

By the Lane Ranger
Published: May 18, 2008

Dear Lane Ranger: First, many thanks to the county and VDOT for extending Benita Fitzgerald Drive from Dale to Cardinal Drive. It’s a great improvement and a way to escape southbound I-95 gridlock in the afternoon!

I have an idea for improvement. The two left turn lanes on Dale are totally inadequate for southbound traffic to Benita in the afternoon.

The expensive idea, and one that will be needed sooner or later: extend the double turn lanes. Increase physical capacity.

The inexpensive one: please change the timing of the lights. Commuters westbound on Dale are increasingly frustrated. You want to turn left but instead, the traffic signals won’t allow you to, even though there is zero traffic headed eastbound on Dale.

Thanks,
Eric Fagerholm
Montclair

Dear Lane Ranger: Is anybody planning any improvements, soon, please? Like lengthening the left turn lanes from Dale Boulevard onto Benita Fitzgerald? Like more time for green arrow left turns from Dale onto Gideon Drive? It doesn’t stay green long enough even for the left turn lane volume to make it. Like adding another lane on either side?
Kurt Doehnert, Dale City

Dear Eric and Kurt: There are long-term plans being designed right now to extend the turn lanes. Read: very long term. Everyone is broke right now. Supervisor John D. Jenkins, D-Neabsco, said the project could be done as early as mid-2009, but that depends on funding and let’s be honest. It’s rare a government agency has all of the money it needs these days and Prince William County is no different.

However, there is a glimmer of hope that could arise from negotiations between Prince William County and a developer, said one Virginia Department of Transportation engineer. The developer might do a much broader project to do more extensive turn lanes than VDOT proposed.

Cross your fingers because VDOT officials say they’ve done all they can to synch the lights.
They did make some changes in the past few week.

“It’s a capacity issue at his point that synchronization cannot fix,” said Mike Salmon, VDOT spokesman.

RIDGEFIELD ROAD
The washout on Dale Boulevard could be repaired as soon as next week, but until then, Ridgefield Road is its major detour. Other roads in the area have been impacted as traffic shifts to Spriggs, Hoadly and other area roads.

Dear Lane Ranger: Finally they have started the road repair on Ridgefield Road, but this has created another problem. They made it two lanes and lowered the speed limit to 25 mph, but people are still trying to do 45 mph.

I have seen three near misses as people try to pass others who are doing the speed limit.

Can the county police come out and do some enforcement before there is serious accident?
I hope no one gets hurt

Dear I hope no one gets hurt: Prince William County police officers have started to patrol Ridgefield, said Erika Hernandez, police spokeswoman.

And the officers have handed out numerous tickets to violators, she said.

“The officers will continue to patrol Ridgefield in an effort to make the change of the speed limit — in this case the reduction of the speed — a much safer road for the citizens,” Hernandez wrote in an e-mail.