Daleville Exit 150 Makeover Could Be Years Down the Road

The traffic snarl that is Exit 150 in Daleville will be around at least another three years, even if funding for a fix remains in the state budget. The Virginia Department of Transportation last month unveiled a million initiative, consisting of six different proposals to improve safety and traffic capacity at the interchange. A second public hearing will take place in 2011 and action is scheduled for 2012 at the earliest.

Proposal costs range from an estimated $12 million to $20 million, and could encompass up to 1.65 miles of highway around Exit 150, which is a junction for US 460, US 220 and US 11. About 100,000 vehicles pass through the interchange daily.

Almost 150 people attended a public hearing on the proposal in August, and VDOT received 67 comments, most urging the purchase of two truck stops, Travel Centers of America and the Pilot Station, both of which are located on US 11 at the interchange, VDOT spokesperson Heidi Underwood said.

This alternative is a favorite in a step-by-step approach advocated by Don Assaid, chairman of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors and representative of the Valley District where the exit is located. He was among the first to suggest this option to state officials, and was part of a committee of citizens, engineers, area business owners, and county officials who determined which alternatives to present at the August 27 public meeting.

“My personal belief is that the only effective solution to this traffic ‘nightmare’ has to involve relocating the truck stop and/or the Pilot Station,” Assaid wrote in an email. He would propose relocating the truck centers to another Botetourt exit, possibly Exit 156.

Once the truck stops have been purchased and moved, “that will crystallize what else needs to be done at that intersection,” Assaid wrote. “I will also encourage them to consider leaving Exit 150A open (although closing it was my idea), provided that VDOT erect a permanent barrier (e.g. poles or a concrete median) that allows a right turn only, so that through traffic on 220 South will not be impeded through that stoplight.”

While closing Travel Center and/or the Pilot station would mean a loss of tax revenue, it is not an overly significant amount, according to Botetourt County Administrator Jerry Burgess. Cracker Barrel brings in more revenue than the other two combined, he said.

Ridding the interchange of truck traffic likely would increase development “because people are concerned about the traffic at Exit 150,” he added. “It would encourage development in other places and have tremendous safety improvements for the residents of the county.” (After the recent closing of a Botetourt County rest stop by VDOT, some convenience stores at Exit 150 reported an uptick in business from those that left I-81 to find a rest room and/or snacks.)

The state’s other bandage proposals for the interchange include adding signal lights at Exit 150B and the Pilot Station, closing Exit 150A, either permanently or to truck traffic only, building a new on-ramp for northbound I-81 traffic, adding medians on US 11 to limit left-hand turns, and the creation of a loop road to send traffic completely away from the interchange.

VDOT has aggressively moved to control transportation expenses this year. A recent effort included the closure of the rest area on southbound I-81 near mile marker 158. That move, which saved the state about $470,000, may have increased traffic for a single business at Exit 156 but has had little impact on traffic at Exit 150, according to managers at several restaurants and gas stations in the area.

By Anita J. Firebaugh
[email protected]

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