In heavy traffic, some drivers 'cheat' at Chesapeake intersection

TRAFFIC CONGESTION in Deep Creek is more or less a terminal condition. All we can hope for is something to relieve the pain .

Reader Tom Banford is looking for a shot of morphine at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Willowwood Drive. There, he says, the right-turn-only lane from George Washington is subject to shenanigans .

During the afternoon rush hour, traffic here is heavy and there’s only one through lane. So the scofflaws use the right-hand turn lane to “cheat” closer to the front of the queue . Then they insinuate into the through lane.

He suggests the installation of poles to keep the traffic lanes separate.

Chesapeake city engineer Eric Martin says he’s got something better, though it’s a year away from happening. By summer 2009, Martin said the right-turn lane will be eliminated, and two through lanes will be available in each direction of George Washington.

The city is acquiring right of way for the project, which will cost $4 million.

Sharing the road

On April 8, The Warrior wrote about a seeming shortcoming at Virginia Beach’s new Laskin Road gateway. At the pedestrian- and bike-friendly Oceanfront, there is a 100-foot stretch of Laskin Road, near 30th Street, without a sidewalk. Given the presence of a guardrail, the only option is a very dangerous one – to walk, or pedal, in fast-moving traffic lanes.

“They couldn’t have been thinking about people on foot or on bicycles” when they designed the road, reader Greg Belardi told The Warrior.

In the article, project engineer David Jarman said there’s enough room to move the guardrail back and install a sidewalk . This week, Jarman told The Warrior of a second possibility: Installing more decking to link to a boardwalk at Laskin Road and 30th Street.

The second option is better; the first option is cheaper.

So it seems a fix is in the offing, with the city set to make a decision this week. I’ll let you know what happens.

Line of sight

Reader Donald Karnes said a 7-Eleven on the corner of Reon Drive and Providence Road is making life hard for motorists.

That’s because of a row of hedges in front of the store, Karnes said.

“That intersection is usually a mess, and the hedges block the view of the traffic approaching from the left,” he wrote.

Mike Shahsiah, a city traffic engineer, said a store manager at 7-Eleven promised to trim or remove the hedges within two weeks.

Watch out!

Lane closures: Northbound lanes on the Chesapeake Expressway’s Northwest River Bridge will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today. Southbound lanes will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday .