The Virginia Department of Transportation will mark off four dedicated left turn lanes in the central “suicide” lane on Route 250 at Clover Lawn as soon as warm weather allows, VDOT Charlottesville residency agent Joel DiNunzio said.
“We are looking at ways to make that section of 250 more in line with a small developed area,” he said. “They added right turn lanes there. The central left turn lane is more appropriate where there is less traffic. We’re looking at striping them with left turn lanes. It’s just striping, so it’s interim.
“I think that will help slow speeds in there. The county has money for pedestrian improvements [at the entrance to Harris Teeter] so we will be revisiting the area. I think lighting would help in there.”
VDOT will have to eradicate current markings first, DiNunzio explained, and no work will be undertaken until the risk of snow is past.
Future alterations to the section could include a roundabout. “We’ll have to see if it works,” said DiNunzio. “It would reduce speeds and make pedestrians safer. We could get a decent size circle in there. But we don’t know if it works from a traffic perspective yet.”
