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Residents press council over constant red ramp restrictions and neighborhood noise; city cites VDOT/FHWA limits
Summary
A resident urged city action on a center-lane ramp restriction and noise from Andrews Boulevard; city manager said VDOT and FHWA denied a physical ramp closure and the city uses extended red-light enforcement as a last resort.
Residents reported traffic and noise problems during public comment Tuesday and asked the council to pursue physical changes or other remedies.
Richard East, identifying himself as an environmental health and safety official (not a city resident), urged attention to the intersection of William R. Harvey Way and Settlers Landing Road. East described a center lane used to access the I-64 eastbound ramp that remains under a constant red light between 3 and 6 p.m. and said existing signage is insufficient: "These are the signs that are there as you approach the intersection. And they're just not enough to communicate to drivers to stay out of the lane between 3 and 6." He said red-light camera citations were now being issued to drivers who enter the center lane during the restriction period.
City Manager Bunting responded in detail. He said the city had pursued physical ramp closures like the device used in Norfolk but that VDOT and the Federal Highway Administration would not permit Hampton to use that method, so the city pursued alternatives that were approved and funded by VDOT. Bunting said staff had tested public-information measures and a period of waived citations before enforcement. "This was the only one that was ultimately approved," he said of the extended red-light camera approach, and added, "I personally don't like it either. But this is the hand we've been dealt by VDOT and FHWA." He listed three locations in the city with 3-to-6 p.m. constant-red restrictions (downtown Settlers Landing, Phoebus Mallory Street, and an exit ramp) and said the measures were aimed at preventing gridlock that blocked emergency vehicles during HRBT construction-related detours.
On neighborhood noise, resident Shane Lewis asked the city to consider a sound wall and a reduced speed limit on Andrews Boulevard near Kilgore Middle School, saying traffic noise makes outdoor spaces unusable for neighbors. The city manager said sound walls are typically installed by VDOT along interstates and suggested staff could conduct sound studies and look at alternatives; he asked Lewis to leave contact information so the public-works director could follow up.
Ending: City staff said they would follow up with residents on noise concerns and continue to use the approved red-light enforcement approach while pursuing any additional technical options permitted by VDOT and FHWA.
