Two rumble strip projects are planned in the Lynchburg District of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) this year. Rumble strips create noise and vibration that alert drivers to correct their direction and can reduce head-on crossover and/or run-off crashes significantly.
In 2018, 53 highway fatalities in the Lynchburg District were attributed to vehicles running off the road and either overturning, striking an oncoming vehicle or striking a fixed object, such as a tree or fence. More than half (57 percent) of U.S. traffic fatalities occur after a driver crosses the edge or center line of a roadway and two-thirds (65 percent) of these fatal crashes occur in rural areas according to the Federal Highway Administration. In an effort to mitigate road departure left crashes (crossing the centerline) on the district’s two-lane primary undivided roadways, centerline rumble strips will be installed at 17 Lynchburg District locations and on Route 307 in Amelia and Nottoway counties in the Richmond District.
The approximately $600,000 project is funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Project (HSIP) program. Work is expected to begin in May and has a fixed completion date of October 11, 2019.
In addition, the District will have an approximately $760,000 districtwide on-call rumble strip contract that will be funded through various programs, including HSIP. This contract will be used to install any type of rumble strip on primary routes in the District, including work on US 460 east and west in Prince Edward County.
During the installation of these strips motorists should expect delays and possible lane closures.
The Lynchburg District serves the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, Nelson, Pittsylvania and Prince Edward.
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Chris Graham
