Route 221 Corridor Study - Improvement Alternatives
Route 221 Corridor Study - Improvement Alternatives
This study is assessing potential operational and safety improvements for the Route 221 corridor in Bedford County, Virginia, from Perrowville Road to Graves Mill Road. Route 221 serves as an east-west major arterial roadway connecting the residential areas to commercial areas and employment centers. This corridor, which is a Corridor of Statewide Significance, has identified safety concerns, including fatal and serious injury accidents, and operational issues. The study is also addressing bicycle, pedestrian, and transit needs along the corridor. The goal of this study is to develop a series of solutions to address the safety and arterial congestion concerns along the subject corridor.
Introduction
Study Area
The study area extends from Perrowville Road to Graves Mill Road, focusing on the shaded areas and numbered intersections below.
At a number of study intersections a thru-cut intersection is proposed. Below is an explanation of how thru-cuts work. Additional information about thru-cuts can be found here.
The benefits of thru-cuts include:
- Improved safety: Reduces the number of points where vehicles cross paths
- Increased efficiency: Eliminates the side street through movements, allowing for fewer or shorter traffic signal phases, which reduces delay and increases capacity
- Shorter wait times: Fewer traffic signal phases means less time stopped at the intersection
- Cost effective: A thru-cut may be more cost-effective than adding lanes to improve capacity