Council approves SmartScale grant application for Amherst Street safety and flow projects

On July 9 the Winchester City Council approved a resolution authorizing an application to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s SmartScale program for a multi-component project aimed at improving safety and traffic flow on Amherst Street and Route 50 west of Route 37. Public Services Director Perry Eisenach described proposed elements: restricting certain left turns out of a McDonald’s driveway, adding a second left-turn lane eastbound on Amherst at Campus Boulevard, adding second left-turn lanes at the Meadow Branch intersection, adjusting signal timing to require left turns only on a protected arrow, and pedestrian-safety improvements at the same intersections.