Braawwk! Braawwkkk!
It didn’t take long. Route 288, the circumferential highway running around the south-western quadrant of the Richmond New Urban Region, opened in late 2004. Already it is changing development patterns for the worse and causing localized traffic congestion around its exits. The Richmond Times-Dispatch tells the tale today about the impact on the Huguenot Trail in Powhatan County.
Traffic has more than doubled in one section of Huguenot Trail since 288 opened, reports Will Jones. Speeding and accidents have surged as well: 17 accidents have been reported near the intersection of Winterfield Road so far this year, up from 12 for all of 2004.
Dale Totten, resident engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation, noted that VDOT would four-lane the road for about $13 million if it had more money. Of course, VDOT has no more money for road construction in the Richmond region. One reason is that VDOT, at the behest of local politicians and boosters, spent all its friggin’ money on 288!
Where’s Homer Simpson when you need him? This is a major “D’oh!” moment.
As we predicted, Route 288 is generating residential development in scarcely populated areas all around its exits, overtaxing the local country roads. While the limited access highway might provide limited traffic relief for people driving back and forth between Chesterfield and Goochland counties, other people are making choices about where they live and work, and they are creating traffic congestion in new places. The only thing that surprises me is how rapidly this is happening. Even I thought there might be a lag of three or four years.
If Route 288 has already created a $13 million road-construction in just this one exist, think of the liability it has created for all of its exits!
Here’s another prediction: After a few more years of scattered subdivision development and approval of mega-commercial projects at major 288 intersections, the need for new road improvements will soar. Before the end of the decade, we may well see the unfunded liability zoom well past the original $400 million it took to build the original highway. To the brainiacs who thought Route 288 was such a great idea: Thanks for nothing. I think we could have spent the $400 million better elsewhere.