Jim's Journeys 3

Greetings from the road!  

What a fun couple of days traveling this great state!  There is nothing better than driving through the back roads of Virginia during the fall.  I headed out to Lynchburg last week and then took a trip down to Danville to see how everybody was doing.

Down in Lynchburg I stopped in at VDOT and met with Chris Winstead and Daphne Ashwell (see picture).  We had a productive meeting and hope to bring some classes down to the Lynchburg district office in the future!

I was also able to drop off gravel road construction guides to Public Works directors in Lynchburg, Martinsville and Danville.  If you need any other training, books or resources don’t hesitate to call our office, we’ll be glad to help.

Just a reminder- if you have a training room and would like to host one of our classes, please give Robin Carpenter a call!  She’d be more than happy to work with you on setting something up.  Her number is 434-982-2897.

If you weren’t in when I stopped by but you got an arm full of books and brochures and would like to talk about your training needs feel free to drop me a line (my email is below). 

Watch for information about when I’ll be traveling to your location. Or contact me at jwz9m@virginia.edu to schedule a visit.

I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.

New Vancouver Data Shows Most Commercial Drive Visitors Don’t Drive

As part of the City of Vancouver’s process to consult with the public about the possibility of converting Commercial Drive into a Complete Street, the city hired a consultant to conduct an intercept survey of visitors to Commercial Drive. This survey asked visitors questions concerning how they arrived, how often then visit, where they came from, where they park if they drive and how they found the experience. The results were recently released and can be found here. I have attached one of the open house boards below.

Read the rest of the story here.

Cyclist Says His Pool Noodle Makes Toronto Streets Safer For Him

Cars barreling by him. SUVs passing within inches of his bike’s handlebars. Drivers jamming on the brakes and leaping from their vehicles to confront him.

Daily commutes used to be tough for Warren Huska, who cycles 18 kilometres from his home near the Beaches to his office in North York almost every day.

“People get really insulated inside a vehicle,” Huska said. “They don’t really know where the edges of their vehicle are.”

But, for the past year, drivers have given Huska a wider berth.

Now, when he mounts his trusty two-wheeled steed, Huska is protected by a pool noodle.

Strapped to his bike’s frame with bungee cords, the floppy foam cylinder is a reminder to drivers not to get too close.

Read the rest of the story here.

New Guide For Planners Offers Advice On Building Safe Streets

Out of the many changes former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg brought to the city, one of the few that was universally beloved was his administration’s transformation of many city streetscapes. Current Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton were widely blasted when they casually considered reopening the Times Square stretch of Broadway to car traffic. It was one of many indications that a new era was upon cities, one in which the car was no longer king.

The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the Global Designing Cities Initiative just unveiled the Global Street Design Guide, the first-ever worldwide standard for redesigning city streets to prioritize safety, pedestrians, transit and sustainable mobility. Bloomberg Philanthropies funded the publication.

Read the rest of the story here.

HOV Lanes In Norfolk To Become HOT Lanes

ARLINGTON - The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) today voted to authorize VDOT to convert eight miles of Interstate 64 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV-2) reversible lanes to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) or Express Lanes from the Interstate 264/64 Interchange to Interstate 564 in Fall 2017.  

VDOT Hampton Roads District Administrator James Utterback said the conversion from HOV to HOT (Express) Lanes “will improve reliability, provide travel choices and reduce congestion in both the general purpose and HOV travel lanes.”

Operating hours for Express Lanes will be in effect for four hours in the morning, from 5 a.m.- 9 a.m. and afternoons from 2 p.m.- 6 p.m. and will operate Monday through Friday only.  Vehicles with two or more people will continue to ride the lanes for free.  For the first time, solo drivers will have the option to use the lanes any time during peak periods when paying a variable toll.  

Use of Express Lanes is voluntary and tolls will vary depending on traffic volumes.  

VDOT estimates conversion to Express Lanes will decrease use of general purposes lanes by approximately 17 percent.

The CTB also agreed to allow VDOT to use its current toll revolving account to begin constructing infrastructure needed to build the Express Lanes.

Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation, Aubrey Layne, called the conversion, “long overdue,” and said the HOT Lanes will be “a much better use of our assets.”

In January 2016 the CTB was briefed on the beginning of a feasibility study of HOV to HOT conversion on I-64.  Last month, the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization passed a resolution in support of the conversion.

The current HOV lanes are underutilized and in 2008 the U.S. Secretary of Transportation encouraged the conversion to HOT lanes.

VDOT will immediately move forward with development plans for the conversion to HOT/Express Lanes.

Transportation Board Awards Three Contracts Worth $123.8 Million

ARLINGTON, Virginia – The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) approved three projects at their monthly meeting today totaling $123.8 million that will improve transportation in the Fredericksburg, Hampton Roads and Richmond Districts of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

• Diverging Diamond Interchange to be built in Stafford County

A $99.9 million design-build contract was awarded to Shirley Contracting Company, of Lorton, to construct a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) to replace the existing Interstate 95/Route 630 (Courthouse Road) interchange to accommodate the increased traffic volume expected in this location in the Fredericksburg District.                  

Courthouse Road will be relocated and widened to four lanes between Route 1 and I-95, and to streamline traffic, the project will relocate the intersection of Courthouse Road and    Route 1 to the south to align with Hospital Center Boulevard. 

West of I-95, Courthouse Road will be widened to four lanes to a point just west of Ramoth Church Road/Winding Creek Road, and a traffic signal will be installed at the entrance to Colonial Forge High School. Ramoth Church Road and Winding Creek Road will also be realigned to intersect at a traffic signal.

The existing commuter park and ride, currently to the east of I-95, will be relocated to the west of the Interstate and expanded to accommodate approximately 500 new parking spots in addition to the 545 existing spaces. A 10-foot shared use path will originate from the commuter park and ride lot, pass along the DDI over I-95 and continue along the north side of relocated Route 630, for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The project is expected to be completed by July 2020.

• New Ferry will be added to Jamestown-Scotland Fleet

A $16.5 million contract was awarded to VT Halter Marine, of Pascagoula, Miss., for the construction of a new ferry boat to replace The Virginia. Built in 1936, it is the oldest vessel in the Jamestown-Scotland fleet.

The new ferry will have a 70-vehicle capacity, and will be able to transport up to 499 passengers. The Virginia, built to accommodate 1930’s era vehicles, has narrower parking lanes and a 12-ton limit; it is only able to transport 25 cars on each pass. The ferries take motorists across the James River between James City County at Glasshouse Point and Surry County at Scotland Wharf in VDOT’s Hampton Roads District.

Construction on the ferry is expected to be complete by April 2018.

• Pavement Maintenance Planned in Prince George County

A $7.4 million contract was awarded through State of Good Repair funds to Curtis Contracting, Inc., of West Point for pavement maintenance and repair in VDOT’s Richmond District.

The project will include patching the concrete pavement and laying a thin asphalt overlay on Interstate 295 northbound from I-95 to Route 460 (mile marker 3).

The expected completion date is October 2017.

The following chart tracks the dollar amount of major contracts the CTB has awarded in calendar year 2016:

In advance of each CTB meeting, VDOT Commissioner Charles Kilpatrick also approves contracts up to $5 million in value. From the June 22, July 27, and August 24, 2016 bid lettings, the commissioner approved 57 contracts worth an approximate total of $75.2 million for construction and maintenance projects on Virginia’s interstates and primary and secondary roads.

Appointed by the governor, the 17-member CTB establishes the administrative policies for Virginia's transportation system. The CTB allocates highway funding to specific projects, locates routes and provides funding for airports, seaports and public transportation. The board normally meets on the third Wednesday of the month in months when action meetings are scheduled.

For more information:

• Final bid results and projects:http://www.virginiadot.org/business/const/bidresults-list.asp
• CTB meeting, times and locations:http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/meetingschedule.asp

Report: Only 1 In 5 Millennials Have Ever Tried A Big Mac

McDonald's hamburgers are not excellent. You know it. I know it. And, as the Wall Street Journal reports, McDonald's knows it. The company and its operators are acutely aware of how they've struggled in the face of competition from higher-end chains like Five Guys, Steak ’n Shake, and Shake Shack that have peeled off younger consumers by offering, well, better burgers. The Journal quotes a memo from a “top McDonald's franchisee” stating that only 1 in 5 millennials have even tried a Big Mac in their lives; we are apparently a generation immune to the charms of the special sauce. “The number of hamburgers sold at McDonald’s U.S. restaurants has been flat for the past few years,” the paper adds, “and was growing only at a 1% to 2% annual rate before that, according to former high-ranking McDonald’s executives.”

The trouble McDonald's is having with the youngs isn't so different from what other aging, iconic brands are experiencing. In 2014, for instance, the Journal reported that 44 percent of adults between 21 and 27 had never sipped a Budweiser (aka Bud Heavy, aka not Bud Light). The parallels between the two stories are somewhat obvious—both are somewhat bland flagship products aimed at a mass market that's been fragmented by a new variety of tastier (or, in some cases, cheaper) options popular among young consumers. American food and drink are getting better and more regionalized, which makes it tough to keep people interested in boring Big Macs and Buds.

Read the rest of the story here.