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Regent Road safety concerns prompt VDOT re-evaluation and temporary enforcement steps
Summary
After residents described repeated crashes and a February property-impacting collision, VDOT told the Middlesex board it will re-evaluate the 2021 speed study for Regent Road and consider signage, lowered limits or other mitigations; the sheriff offered additional speed monitoring.
Residents living along Regent Road urged the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors to act after repeated near-misses and a severe crash on Feb. 28 damaged private property.
"This matters because this is no longer just a property issue. It's a public safety issue," Patricia Means told the board during public comments, describing multiple prior incidents and requesting a traffic safety assessment and physical calming measures.
VDOT's assistant resident engineer for land use, Drew Hammond, told the board the department has already submitted the Means address to district traffic engineering and will re-evaluate the 2021 speed study for Regent Road. Hammond said his office will look at the 85th-percentile operating speed and explore signage and other mitigations.
Board members pressed for more immediate steps. The county administrator said the sheriff's office will increase speed monitoring on the corridor while engineering work proceeds. Hammond confirmed the Regent Road turn-lane improvement project remains on VDOT's list, but preliminary engineering delays have pushed an anticipated construction start to mid-2027.
Board members repeatedly asked for temporary measures — flashing solar-powered signs or stepped-up enforcement — to reduce the risk to nearby homes while the technical studies continue.
Next steps: VDOT traffic engineering will re-evaluate the 2021 study (including the Means location) and report back; the board, county administration and sheriff's office will coordinate short-term enforcement and signage options.
No formal ordinance or funding decision was made at the meeting; supervisors asked staff to pursue both engineering review and interim enforcement options.
