Drivers of the Port Republic Road corridor near the James Madison University campus will see some left-turn restricted hours return next week.
The restrictions, which first went into place last year but were loosened in recent weeks due to a reduction of traffic in the corridor, prohibits left turns onto, or off of, Port Republic Road from Crawford Avenue, Hillcrest Drive/Carrera Lane and Hunters Road during peak hours starting Monday, Aug. 17.
The effort is focused on reducing traffic crashes and congestion in the corridor and stems from a study completed by the City of Harrisonburg in 2018.
Restrictions for the Port Republic Road at Hunters Road intersection will be in place from 7 to 9 a.m., and 3 to 6:30 p.m., on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and 7 to 9:30 a.m., and 3 to 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday and Thursday. Restrictions at the other intersections will be in place Monday through Friday from 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6:30 p.m.
These restrictions do not impact weekend travel.
Signs and flashing lights have been erected at the intersections to remind drivers of the restricted hours, and violators can be ticketed if they do not abide. Left turns are one of the most dangerous turning movements and are responsible for a high percentage of crashes with injuries.
Left turns off of Port Republic Road onto neighborhood streets also have a tendency to cause rear-end crashes when the vehicle turning left has to wait for a gap in traffic and comes to a stop in the through-lane, causing the drivers behind the turning vehicle to have to rapidly or unexpectedly come to a stop.
Drivers interested in information concerning local road closures and projects can find updates at the city’s new online tool, streets.populus.ai/harrisonburg/closures.
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