VDOT sets public meeting on Route 340 signal changes in Stuarts Draft

A second citizen information meeting for a signal-coordination project on Route 340 (Stuarts Draft Highway) in Augusta County will be held Tuesday, May 2.

The meeting takes place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Stuarts Draft Elementary School, 63 School Boulevard, Stuarts Draft, Va. A brief presentation is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

During the meeting, citizens can discuss the project on a one-on-one basis with the Virginia Department of Transportation and project consultants.

Written comments can be submitted at the meeting or within 10 days after the meeting date to Mr. Grant Sanders, Virginia Department of Transportation, 811 Commerce Road, Staunton, VA  24401-9029.

This two-phase project includes the coordination of eight traffic signals along the Route 340 corridor in the community of Stuarts Draft. Phase one includes signal coordination and retiming. Phase two includes construction of high-speed fiber optic communication so the signals can be actively monitored and updated at VDOT’s Northwest Regional Traffic Operations Center. This two-phase project has the goal of reducing travel times for Route 340 drivers while minimizing rear-end crashes that can result from stop-and-start traffic patterns.

These signals are located where Route 340 intersects with the following roads:

• Route 657 (Indian Ridge Road)
• Route 654 (White Hill Road/Johnson Drive)
• Entrance to Windmill Square shopping center
• Route 608 (Tinkling Spring Road/Draft Avenue)
• Route 1512 (Gloucester Road)
• Route 649 (Augusta Farms Road/Locust Grove Lane)
• Route 9030 (School Boulevard)
• Route 635 (Mount Vernon Road)

VDOT combined traffic data with public input from a January 2017 citizen information meeting to develop the initial signal coordination plans. New timing patterns were developed and implemented in February and March 2017. The second public meeting will share measured results and give motorists an opportunity to discuss their driving experiences. This will help VDOT consider further adjustments to the traffic signal timing.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.