AUGUSTA COUNTY – Traveling on Interstate 64 across Afton Mountain while the fog is out can be a driver's worse nightmare.
Visibility is low, and turning on high beams just makes it worse.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is hoping to make these trips through the fog clearer. On Wednesday, VDOT held a public hearing on a new lighting project on I-64, centered around the exit 99 interchange.
The goal is to improve visibility during the night and during fog conditions. Pole-mounted lights will be added to the interstate, on and off ramps, and the interchanges with Three Notched Mountain Highway (U.S. Route 250).
A total of 35 lights will be installed approximately 25 feet over the road. Each will have shields focusing light on the road to protect the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and Shenandoah National Park from light pollution.
In addition turning on at night and during low level lighting conditions, the new lights will be hooked up a pre-existing weather detection system. When the fog comes in, the system turns on lights placed into the pavement.
“The lighting that is already there is similar to airport runway lighting, where they're actually along the shoulder of the road and the lane lines,” said Lou Hatter, VDOT's communications manager in Culpeper. “They come on in low level lighting, it does allow you to see. When the fog is really thick, it's difficult to see the dashed lines on the road. The lights give you a sense of where you are on the roadway.”
The same system that turns on the in-road lights will also tell the new light poles to turn on.
The project came about after a 2019 safety study on Afton Mountain. Another project, adding more overhead signs to warn of traffic congestion and display messages, was previously part of the lighting project, but it's been split into a separate but concurrent project. At around eastbound I-64 mile marker 95, the message board is installed but covered. The signs will be uncovered once detectors are installed.
The cost is estimated around $3 million. VDOT will begin advertising for a contractor in winter 2024. Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2025 and completed in winter 2025.
The public hearing hoped to gather feedback from the public on the project before moving forward. The comment period is open until July 26. To provide written comment, email Caroline.Awua-Mensah@vdot.virginia.gov, referencing “I-64 Interchange Lighting Comment” in the subject line.
More information is available on the project web page: www.vdot.virginia.gov/projects/culpeper-district/interstate-64-afton-mountain-safety-improvements/.
Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It’s welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
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