THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 3, 1996 TAG: 9608030314
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 42 lines
A highway sign announcing a temporary traffic light at the intersection of Greenbrier Parkway and Interstate 64 might as well read ``new traffic headache,'' local motorists say.
The signal was installed less than two weeks ago when a road-widening project left the normal on and off ramps temporarily closed.
``It gets so backed up in the late afternoon,'' said Frank Walker, 33, who said he travels the parkway only at off-peak hours.
But shoppers interviewed at Greenbrier Mall on Friday afternoon did not blame the state Department of Transportation for the inconvenience.
Glenn Quiban, 30, of Virginia Beach said he believes officials had no choice but to add the light during construction of additional lanes to ensure motorists' safety. And for him, the problem is solved by using neighborhood roads to visit Chesapeake and return home.
``All those people who are used to driving 55 mph all the way down the road and merging onto 64 will just have to get used to stopping,'' he said.
The light will likely be removed in the fall when the loops leading on and off I-64 on the south side of the interchange are widened to accommodate more traffic, according to Bill Cannell, spokesman for VDOT.
However, another signal will go up on the north side of the interchange while the ramps on that side are updated, Cannell said.
``Our goal is to have it all done before Thanksgiving for the Christmas shopping season,'' he said. ``We're trying to keep everyone - drivers, shoppers, merchants - happy.''
Cannell said the I-64 project, from Battlefield Boulevard to Greenbrier Parkway, will include a new lane for car pools and another for those merging on and off the highway. The project is expected to be completed during the summer of 1997.
Traffic officials estimate 81,900 cars travel that portion of the interstate each day, but by 2010 the number will reach 130,000. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic\VP
Interstate 64 & Greenbrier Parkway Intersection
KEYWORDS: TRAFFIC GREENBRIER by CNB