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City to join MPO safety walk on Washington Street; officials press for traffic‑calming and public engagement
Summary
The committee said MPO, FHWA and state representatives will conduct presentations and a corridor walk on Washington Street; the Chair urged the city to attend and requested tighter public engagement after VDOT scheduled a Route 51 field review without direct city notification.
City officials told the Charles Town Infrastructure Committee that representatives from the Metropolitan MPO, the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation staff will be in the city for a Washington Street safety action plan site visit, starting with presentations at City Hall at 9 a.m. and a corridor walk from 1 to 3 p.m. the following day.
Chair asked committee members to identify priority locations for the walk — naming the Moritz intersection and the Samuel intersection by the library — and said the committee will try to attend to provide local perspective. “I think that really promoting the walkability element is gonna be our focus, ways to reduce speed,” the Chair said, adding that he would advocate for lowering the posted limit as one possible measure. “I think if even dropping the speed limit to 20, would be something I would advocate for.”
A committee member noted an existing state statute that sets default speed rules when limits are not posted and cautioned the city about what the state will accept; another member emphasized crosswalk marking and signalized crossings as practical interventions. The Chair and City Manager John Dissell also expressed displeasure after learning VDOT scheduled an in‑person field review for a Route 51 design study without notifying the city; staff said they will try to get more information and plan representation for the on‑site review.
The Chair encouraged members to join the MPO presentations and the corridor walk and to use on‑site meetings to press for public feedback and local input. The committee agreed to coordinate attendance and follow up on scheduling.
