RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Donna Purcell Mayes 804 786-2717, Donna.Mayes@VirginiaDOT.org pager 804 351-6602

CO-0437 Sept. 1, 2004

VDOT SUSPENDS NORMAL LANE CLOSURES FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND TRAVEL
Flood-related closures in Central Virginia will remain in place as long as needed

RICHMOND-The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will help ease your Labor Day holiday travel by opening lanes that are temporarily closed for construction or maintenance work on many major roadways. In general, those lanes will clear from noon Fri., Sept. 3, until noon Tues., Sept. 7. Construction zones with concrete barriers and orange barrels will remain set up.

Due to flooding in the Richmond and Fredericksburg areas, some roads and ramps will be closed for repairs. Go to www.VirginiaDOT.org for the latest road closure information before traveling.

Motorists are urged to obey the posted speed limits and pay attention to the orange signs in work zones throughout Virginia. They're posted to guide drivers safely through work zones.

In Virginia last year, 16 people died in crashes in highway work zones, and 291 people were injured in 538 work zone crashes on state-maintained roadways. Nationally, four out of five persons killed in work zone crashes are motorists. Reckless driving by speeding was the top offense charged to motorists in Virginia's work zones last year. The fine for speeding in a work zone is $500.

The following lists services for motorists:

Emergency Operations Center and VDOT's Web site - VDOT's Emergency Operations Center in Richmond oversees the Virginia Highway Helpline, a toll-free number motorists can call to learn about highway conditions or to report problems. There is also a Highway Helpline page on VDOT's Web site. For information about current road and traffic conditions, call VDOT's 24-hour Highway Helpline 1-800-367-ROAD, or visit www.VirginiaDOT.org.

511 Travel Information Service - I- 81 travelers can dial 511 or visit www.511Virginia.org

for information on current driving conditions, incidents, weather, regional tourist sites, food, lodging and emergency services. Telephone customers outside the I-81 region can access the 511 service by dialing 1-800-578-4111.

Safety Service Patrols - To aid stranded motorists, VDOT's Safety Service Patrols provide basic automobile repair and first aid. They also respond to traffic crashes and help provide traffic control. The patrols operate on major highways in VDOT's Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg, Hampton Roads and Salem districts. Patrols also will help travelers along I-64 in Albemarle County from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Monday of the holiday weekend.

Smart Traffic Centers - VDOT operates Smart Traffic Centers in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. Staffed around the clock, these centers monitor road conditions with the help of video cameras located above busy highway corridors. The Smart Traffic Centers warn motorists about traffic back-ups, crashes and other adverse road conditions through electronic message boards and highway advisory radio.

Road conditions and major work zones affecting traffic in Virginia include the following:

HOV lanes - The I-95/395 HOV lanes in Northern Virginia will remain open in the southbound direction from 11 a.m. Sept. 3 until 2 p.m. Sept. 4, then run in the northbound direction without restrictions until 6 a.m. Sept. 7. In Hampton Roads, the I-64 HOV reversible roadway will be open to all eastbound traffic starting 6 p.m. Sept 3 until 11 a.m. Sept. 6, when the system will close to traffic. The I-64 HOV reversible roadway will then re-open at 1 p.m. Sept. 6 to all westbound traffic. The normal schedule of HOV-2 restrictions will resume at 6 a.m. Sept. 7.

Northern Virginia - The two biggest projects in Northern Virginia - the Springfield Interchange and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project - will not close travel lanes from noon Sept. 3 to noon Sept. 7. For more information on the Springfield Interchange project, citizens may call 1-877-959-5222 or visit www.springfieldinterchange.com. For the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project, visit www.wilsonbridge.com or call 1-877-INFO WWB.

Fredericksburg - There will be no lane closures in place at the I-95/Rt. 627 Interchange Project or the Cowan Blvd. Bridge over I-95 from noon Sept. 3 to noon Sept 7.

Richmond - There are no temporary lane closures on the Atlee-Elmont Interchange (I-95) from noon Sept. 3 to noon Sept. 7. Construction behind concrete barriers may continue during this time.

Hampton Roads - Motorists should prepare for heavy traffic, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours on I-64 in the Hampton area between the Hampton Roads Center Parkway and the I-664 split. Barriers are set up that funnel traffic through a construction project to widen the interstate. No construction work will take place in travel lanes during the holidays - from noon Sept. 3 to noon Sept. 7.

Motorists headed to the Outer Banks may want to take the Chesapeake Expressway, which is a toll road, to save time. For more information on the toll road, visit www.chesapeakeexpressway.com

Motorists going to Virginia Beach may want to use the I-664 Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel as an alternate route to the heavily traveled I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.

The Jamestown-Scotland Ferry will operate on its normal schedule, which can be found at http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/ferry.asp. New, increased security measures are in place at the ferry. Security guards will conduct random screenings of passengers and their vehicles in an effort to prevent dangerous substances and devices from boarding the ferry. This is in accordance with the Maritime Transportation Security Act.

Shenandoah Valley - On I-64, all traffic is shifted to the eastbound bridge near mile marker 18 east of Covington in Alleghany County due to reconstruction of bridges over the Jackson River.

The eastbound I-64 rest stop on Afton Mountain is closed due to sewer plant repairs. The estimated completion is late 2004.

Southwest and Central Virginia - In Salem, work continues to widen East Main Street (Route 460) between Kessler Mill Road and Route 419. Traffic across the Mason Creek bridge is reduced to one lane in each direction.

Drivers considering weekend trips through Hillsville will encounter heavy traffic delays due to the annual Labor Day Flea Market and Gun Show, which will draw nearly 350,000 people Sept. 3-6. Motorists entering Hillsville should use I-77 north. No parking will be allowed in the Route 58 median from Hillsville to I-77. Signs and message boards will provide additional travel information to drivers in and around Hillsville.

I-77 bridges over the New River and Route 52 in Wythe County are being rebuilt. Motorists should be prepared to lower their speed limit through the work zone.

I-77/I-81 overlap in Wythe County - Due to high traffic volumes expected over the Labor Day holiday, be alert to the possibility of slowed or stopped traffic in this area.

U.S. 29 in Amherst County is one lane in each direction due to a long-term work zone. The speed limit is reduced to 45 miles per hour.