A major traffic shift on Route 639 (Ladysmith Road ) in Caroline County is now set for this Wednesday after being postponed as work advances to widen the two-lane road to four lanes from Interstate 95 to Route 1.
Crews need to shift traffic to the new road alignment to build the future travel lanes.
All westbound traffic on Ladysmith Road between Route 712 (Green Road) and Center Drive will be shifted to the future eastbound lanes. All eastbound traffic between Route 692 (Allen Street) and Route 712 (Green Road) will be shifted to the new road alignment.
A new raised median is also being built to separate eastbound and westbound travel lanes to improve mobility through the corridor.
Ladysmith Road will remain two travel lanes, one eastbound and one westbound, in the work zone until construction is complete in spring 2024.
The $26.4 million project is building four travel lanes nearly a mile in distance on Ladysmith Road, a 10-foot wide, paved shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists, a 5-foot-wide sidewalk at the Route 1 intersection, crosswalks and new traffic signal equipment will be installed for pedestrian crossings.
Project Background
The project is a partnership between Caroline County and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
Caroline County submitted an application to assist in funding this project through Virginia’s SMART SCALE program. Additional funding is being provided through VDOT’s revenue-sharing program, which matches county funds with state transportation dollars.
The project seeks to reduce current and future congestion in the Ladysmith area by providing more capacity for travelers, and to promote economic development at this gateway entrance to the Caroline community.
Widening Ladysmith Road will create room for dual left turn lanes for eastbound and westbound traffic at the Route 1 intersection to reduce delays for drivers. Dedicated right turn lanes will also be built for Ladysmith Road traffic approaching Route 1.
Motorists should be alert for construction crews and slow-moving equipment operating in the work zone on Route 1 and Ladysmith Road until May 2024.
Around 11,000 vehicles a day travel on Ladysmith Road in the project corridor, according to a 2021 VDOT traffic count.
511Virginia
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