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Residents press VDOT and county on gravel-road speeds, William Vincent Road improvements and snow response
Summary
At the Jan. 7 meeting residents and a county official discussed gravel-road speed limits, timing for improvements to William Vincent Road, the SmartScale project on Route 340 and winter maintenance practices; county staff and a VDOT representative explained statutory speed limits and materials used for winter operations.
Residents raised questions about a range of transportation issues, from the William Vincent Road improvements to winter maintenance on gravel and “rustic” roads.
A VDOT representative and county staff said the statutory speed limit for rustic gravel roads is 35 mph even when a sign is not posted. The representative explained the division manages hundreds of miles of gravel roads and does not post a sign at every road. County traffic engineers will meet with residents at High Knob to clarify how new turn-activated lights work, staff said; a small instructional video was posted to county Facebook.
On William Vincent Road, staff said contractors planned to begin work but snow and ice delayed the start by a couple of weeks. A resident said potholes on the dirt road recur quickly and that some users worry about increased speeds after improvements. The board said the posted speed remains 35 mph and that changing the statutory limit would require legislative action.
A resident asked about SmartScale funding for improvements on Route 340 between the Caverns and Rocky Lane; county staff said there was not a construction schedule immediately available and that staff would provide that information by email. Staff described winter maintenance on secondary gravel roads: they cannot apply salt or chemicals to gravel roads because it damages the surface; instead crews remove loose material and place stone (referred to as "nines" or "eights") to restore traction.
Residents also thanked public-works crews for responding to a recent storm; the county said it mobilized a large fleet and prioritized primary and interstate routes before secondary roads.
